A Raven's Blood
by Kansi-a-lari
Summary: When Raven begins to cough blood, she doesn't know what to do. She tries to hide it, and her blooming affection for a certain green boy. RS, TBBRae triangle
1. Chapter 1

Ok, all the usual disclaimer stuff etc. etc. It's Teen Titans, and I don't own that or anything.

**Chapter One: First Blood**

She dreamt.

_She flew above the world as a raven, soaring over a city, spread far into the horizon. She perched on a telephone line, above a window. A girl stared out the window. Where did she know her? The girl slowly opened the window and began to crawl out. The raven began to crow. "Shut up you stupid bird!" the girl was vehement, "Please, shut up!" The girl jumped out the window and began to run. The raven cocked it's head and flew after her. The girl stumbled many times, but she always picked herself up and hurried on. She came to a large building, with flowers in the front. "This must be a church," she said. She ran inside. The raven flew to the window to see what the girl was doing. She took a pitcher and drank from deeply from it. The raven saw her gasp as a cloaked figure appeared and confronted her. The only words the raven heard were, "All are welcome here…"_

Raven sat up and gasped. She looked at her clock, 3:47 a.m. She was sweating, but she didn't know why. Her bed was soaked in it, and her room smelled of it… and also some other scent she couldn't place. _Gross, _she thought, _Might as well take a shower if I'm already up. _She pushed aside her sheets and blankets and got out of her bed. She paused for a moment to look out her window at the beautiful night sky. The stars shone with the brilliance of a thousand distant suns and the moon was a crescent floating high above the bay. She turned and walked to the bathroom connected to her room.

As she entered she noticed there was still the strange odor, like something was there that was not supposed to. She flipped the switch that activated the cold electric lights of the bathroom ceiling. Her bare feet were cold as they walked across the white tile floor. She took off her pajamas, which was basically her uniform, without the cape. She stepped into the shower and stood there for a moment. She reached up and turned on the shower head, and let the warm water envelop her.

She stood, relishing the feeling of the calming waters sliding down her body. She turned to reach for the shampoo, but when she did, she was overcome with vertigo. Everything started to spin in her mind. She sat down hard on the floor of the shower, the water still pouring down. "What?" she gasped, her breath coming ragged and raspy. She couldn't concentrate, she couldn't think.

She began to retch. Something was in her throat, it was slimy, slick. She coughed and coughed but it would not come out. She stopped and took a deep breath. The water kept raining down on where she sat, trying to calm herself. "What is happening to me?" she whispered. She felt the slickness move into her nose. She sneezed into her hands. She slowly brought them away from her face, and gasped at what she saw. Her hands were flecked with blood, and something black.

The coughing started again. Except this time, something came out. Every time she coughed more blood would come. Her breath came in torn gasps as she watched her blood pool on the shower floor. That smell. She had been smelling blood.

With all her effort she stood up and turned off the shower. Some of her blood was still sliding down the drain. Blood dripped from her mouth, running down her chin. She grabbed a towel and raced back into her room. She turned on the light and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Her bed wasn't covered in sweat, like she had thought. It was blood.

"How…" Raven gasped. She knew it wasn't her "monthly time", that was two weeks ago. She began to hyperventilate. Her breath came faster and faster. _I have to get out of here. _She stood up, still wearing nothing but a towel and raced out of her room, forgetting there was such a thing as teleportation. She ran down the dark hallways of the tower, until she came to the control room. She ran in and threw herself on the couch.

She squeezed her eyes shut. _Oh, Azar, what is wrong with me?_ She huddled into a ball and waited for morning to come.

Beast Boy couldn't sleep. His mind was restless, even if he was tired. Earlier in the night he had been woken up by someone running past his door. But he must have imagined that. He lay in bed wondering whether to get up and go play gamestation, or try to get back to sleep. He looked over at his clock. It said it was 7:30. He had been laying there for hours. He sighed and decided he might as well get up.

He yawned as he walked down the hallway to the control room. He thought he saw a red smudge on the floor, but he guessed it was nothing. _Cyborg probably dripped some oil or something last night. _He continued down the hall and got to the doors of the control room. They automatically opened upon his arrival. As he walked in, he looked out the windows at the bright morning sun. He was usually asleep in the morning, so he never really got to see a sunrise. _But, _he thought,_ this isn't much of a sunrise. The sun must have been up for at lease an hour._

He walked over to the couch so he could play his video games. Before he got there, he thought he heard a small gasp, and saw a hint of black. _What is with me this morning?_ he thought, _I must need more sleep. _Instead of going to sleep, he flopped down onto the couch and began to play Mega Monkeys. He sighed and wished someone else would wake up. It looked like today was going to be a beautiful day. So Beast Boy got it into his head to convince the others to go to the beach later today, when they woke up.

She heard Beast Boy at the last possible second, and hastily teleported herself to her room. The scent of dried blood almost overwhelmed her, but she knew she had to clean it up somehow. Raven was still only wearing a towel, so she went to her closet, and got dressed in her usual uniform. She stood there for a while wondering how she was going to clean her sheets. She finally decided to just wash them, and hope the stains would come out. She gathered them in her arms and teleported herself to the laundry room.

The room smelled pleasantly of detergent and fabric softener, a welcome change from the smell of her room. Stepping over the washer, she set the dials, loaded in her sheets, poured in the soap, and started the washing machine. Now, what was she going to do. _May as well clean the bathroom._

She teleported back into her room. She walked to the bathroom and got out some cleaning supplies. She stared at the floor for a moment, wondering if she had really lost so much blood. The blood covered the floor in a blotchy design, spreading into the shower. She sighed and began to scrub the floor to get the blood off.

_Maybe it was just fluke thing,_ she thought, _Maybe, it won't happen again, and I won't have to worry about it. _She knew she was kidding herself.

After about forty-five minuets of scrubbing, the floor had no more blood stains on it. Raven sat back on her legs and stretched. She was sore from bending over to clean. She decided to get a book, and wait for her sheets to get done, so she could put them in the dryer. She grabbed her book, but before she began to read, she thought she should probably go to the laundry room to see if her sheets were already clean.

After she teleported there, she noticed they still had about ten minuets left. She sat on top of the washing machine and started to read. As she read, her violet hair kept getting in her eyes. She impatiently brushed it out of her face. This was a good story, about a kings, mages, griffins, and…

"Hey Raven, I didn't know you were up."

She jumped. She hadn't even heard him come into the room. "Oh, uh, hi Beast Boy."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 3: Breakfast**

"What are you doing?" inquired Beast Boy.

"What does it look like?" retorted Raven,

"Well, it looks like you're reading and doing laundry." Raven nodded her head and resumed her book. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

"What?" Raven asked. Beast Boy repeated the question and Raven shook her head. "I need to wait until my laundry is done." She paused and her gaze on him sharpened. "Why do you want to make me breakfast anyway? Is it another practical joke?"

"No," replied Beast Boy indignantly, "I just thought you might like some breakfast. That's all." He stood in the doorway a moment, gazing at her. Her hair was such a pretty color… kind of like the color of his uniform. Except her hair was darker, more mysterious. Her eyes were the same. He had no idea he was staring until the buzzer to the washing machine went off.

Raven jumped off the top and took out the clothes. "Here," Beast Boy said, noticing they were sheets, "I'll help."

"No." Raven froze then turned to look at him. "No," she repeated. She couldn't let him see. The blood stains could still be there. She couldn't let him see. "I've got it." She put the sheets in the dryer and started it. "I am going to my room," she announced.

Beast Boy stopped her from teleporting, "Wait," he put a hand on her shoulder. When she gave him an odd look, he thought better of it and pulled his hand away. "I just…the washer has been going for a while, so you must have been up. I just thought you might be lonely."

"I'm not," she replied, and quickly teleported to her room. There was some blood on the floor that she didn't know how to get out, but that was okay. She walked across her room and sighed as she sat on her bed. She reclined on her pillows, racking her brain as to why she had coughed up blood. And there had been so much! She hadn't realized until she was cleaning how much blood she had lost. She was so tired…so tired…

She woke with a start as someone knocked on her door. "Raven?" she sighed. The changeling's voice broke her silence. "Raven, are you awake?"

She got up and opened the door a crack. "What Beast Boy?"

"Ready for breakfast?" he asked with a huge grin on his face.

"I told you--"

"You can make it with me," he interrupted, "then you'll know it's not a practical joke. Everybody else is asleep. Please Raven?" As he said this he rose his eyebrows at her.

"No, Beast Boy," Raven said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She began to close the door and return to her bed, but Beast Boy turned into a cat and went into her room. "Beast Boy, STOP!" Raven screamed. He couldn't see the blood, he couldn't.

He looked at her and turned back into a human. "Then come have breakfast. I'm bored and it will give me something to do. You're lonely and it'll give you a chance to not be lonely."

"Beast Boy I am NOT lonely." Her vehement retort did not affect him. He turned and began walking through her room. He looked at the bookshelves and skimmed the titles of books. "Fine. Okay. Whatever." Raven spoke as rapidly as she could, "Just get out of my room."

Beast Boy's face lit up. "One breakfast coming right up!" He grabbed her wrist and led her out of the room. Out in the hallway she pulled her wrist free from his grip and started walking to the control room. "So what do you want?" Beast Boy asked with a smile as he strolled along, "pancakes, waffles, tofu bacon…" he trailed off and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't eat fake meat," she said crossly, "How many times to I have to say that?"

"But," he interjected, "you ate it once before! Remember? It was after we beat Trigon."

"Oh," she did remember. She had been so happy that day. She had taken a piece of his bacon. It wasn't that bad…

"It's okay," he said, "how do pancakes sound?"

"Sure," Raven replied. She just wanted to get this over with so she could resume thinking about why she had coughed blood, and if her dream had anything to do with it. But now that she thought of it, it would be nice to have some company after last night.

The door slid open as the reached the main room. "Like I said," Beast Boy commented, "Everybody else is asleep." He sighed. He seemed to remember something, so he turned to her with a smile, "Wanna go to the beach later? I want to get everybody to go, and it's such a great day!" When she didn't answer he tried to come up with reasons as to why she should go. "I am going to ask everybody, but no one else is here. I think everybody else would be up for it, and it would be no fun if you were stuck here by yourself."

Raven sighed, "Maybe," she paused, "Why should we go to the beach when we live on an island? Couldn't you just go swimming outside?"

"Well, yes," Beast Boy replied, "But at the beach we can buy food, and lay in the sand, and it'd be more fun."

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. Beast Boy led her into the kitchen and got out eggs, and other random ingredients. She sat down on one of the stools and rested her elbow on the table. "Do you remember the last time I made pancakes?" she inquired. "I burnt them to a crisp. They were awful." She sighed, recalling her failed attempt.

"Yeah," said Beast Boy matter-of-factly, "but now I'm here." She rose her eyebrows and gave him her, you-really-think-you're-that-cool-look. "Okay," he began, "come here." Raven went over to where he stood at the counter. "First pour in the mix, then eggs, then milk," as he talked he proceeded to pour the ingredients into a large bowl. "Here," he handed her a fork, "stir it. It works better with a fork than a spoon, because it breaks up the materials more."

She took the fork and stirred up the batter. Soon the bowl was filled with a gloppy, off-white, mess. "Okay," she said, "what now?" While she had been stirring, Beast Boy had gotten a pan and a spatula.

He walked over and looked in the bowl. "Good. Now," he said, "pour some batter on the pan, and when it bubbles, flip it over." She tilted the bowl so some batter would come out. It plopped into the pan, and began to sizzle. When bubbles started to appear she took the spatula and tried to flip it over. For some reason the pancake would not stay on the spatula. She was about to use her telekinesis, but Beast Boy interrupted her. "No magic," he said, "just keep trying."

She continued to try and finally got the pancake under the spatula. She picked it up and flipped the spatula, but somehow the pancake landed half out of the pan. She turned around to see Beast Boy laughing. "If you're so good at it, why don't you flip it?" She glared at him.

"Okay," he said, "but you have to do it to." He took the pancake that was half out of the pan and threw it away. "Do it again," he said. She sighed, and repeated the process. When the pancake began to bubble, Beast Boy came up behind her. "Now, take the spatula," he said. She complied. He took her hand and guided it through the motions. For some reason, she began to blush. Her heart started to race as she thought, _Why am I so giddy?_ Little did she know, Beast Boy had a blush on his face as well.

The pancake landed in the perfect center of the pan. "There," Beast Boy said a little self consciously, "Can you do the rest?" He had no idea why he was so nervous all of a sudden. She nodded, and continued making the pancakes. "I'll make some tea," he said, "You still like tea right?"

"Ye-Yes Beast Boy," she replied. Why was she still blushing? As she flipped the pancakes her heart continued to race. Beast Boy's hands shook a little as he poured hot water into cups. They both looked at each other, then quickly blushed and looked away.

Cyborg chose that moment to wake up and enter the main room. "Good mornin' yall!" he said happily. "What's for breakfast?" He smiled when he saw the pancakes. He sat down in one of the stools and waited for them to be done. "So, Raven," he said, "you're trying your hand at pancakes again? I hope they are better than last time." He smiled when he said this, so she knew he was joking.

"They will be," Raven whispered inaudibly as she finished the last of the batter, "Beast Boy was here."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it took so long for this chapter. It's short again; sorry. Schools almost over so I'll have more time to write in the summer. btw, last chapter I made a mistake. I called it Ch. 3 instead of 2. That was a type-o. sorry. this is ch. 3.

* * *

Chapter 3

After everyone had woken up and eaten their fill of pancakes, Beast Boy stood up and said, "So, I'm going to the beach today, anybody else in?" He scanned the faces of the four at the table.

"I'm in. Sounds great," replied Robin. He looked at Starfire, "Do you want to?"

"Oh, yes friends," responded the alien redhead, nodding her head in agreement, "We shall enjoy this warm summer day at the beach, eating the hot dogs, and laying on the towels." Her emerald eyes glinted as she pictured the wonderful day she would have.

"Yeah," Cyborg cut in before she could continue, "good idea Beast Boy."

Beast Boy put his hands on his hips, his head in the air, and puffed out his chest. "Isn't it though?" he asked, "One that could only have been thought of by a genius such as I."

"Or," cut in Raven, "any person who looks outside." Robin and Cyborg hid their chuckles. Beast Boy looked at her with a request in his eyes. "I think I'll stay here." She saw his eyebrows go down, and he got less excited. All of a sudden she felt bad for ruining his plans. "I…" her mind thought fast to come up with an excuse, "I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm going to go back to bed."

"Oh," Beast Boy said disappointedly, "Well, if you wake up and we're still gone come find us at the beach."

"Yes," Starfire said decidedly, "you shall sleep, and then join our frolicking at the beach."

"Aw," Raven said sarcastically, "I might miss the guys frolicking?"

"Yeah," Cyborg joked, "'cause I haven't seen Robin frolic in a long time. I really think I'm missing out."

"Cyborg," Robin cut in warningly, "that's not,"

"Friend Cyborg," Starfire said innocently, "why have I not seen Robin frolic if you have?" Cyborg burst out laughing, while Beast Boy was in a fit of hysterics. Raven suppressed a laugh as Robin's face turned bright red.

"Star," Robin tried to explain, "he was kidding. I don't frolic. Ever."

"Oh…" Starfire trailed off, wondering at the mysteries of Earth jokes. She stood up and moved over to the window. She stood in the mid morning sun, basking in the warm rays. Robin looked over and admired the way her hair shimmered in the sun. She must have felt his eyes on her, because she turned around and smiled at him. "Come!" she said excitedly, "Let us prepare to embark to the beach!" With that she flew off to her room.

"Well, we'd better get going too," remarked Robin.

Cyborg chortled, "You just wanna see Star in a swimming suit." Unfortunately, Robin didn't hear the comment as he walked to his own room. "Come on BB," Cyborg said as he walked to the garage to clean off the car.

"Coming," Beast Boy said. As he was walking out the door he looked back over at Raven. She was still at the table, looking a little bored. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" he asked plaintively.

"Positive," she replied. She watched his retreating figure walk into the hall. As the doors closed shut she thought about where to look to find out what was wrong with her. She made a mental list of her books and skimmed through them. She sighed as she teleported to her room.

Raven went to her bookcase and picked up the book she had thought of. She remembered it from along time ago. Some of the monks of Azarath had made it for her. She skimmed the pages, looking for something to help her. She found a passage and stared at it. It mentioned Brother Blood. How could the Azarathians know about him? They had defeated him, hadn't they? She paused as she heard the T car rev up and drive away.

She walked, book in hand, to her bed. She lay down and read the passage over again.

_The blood of the eighth, the blood of the messenger, mixed shall call the Brother of Blood. Beware his coming, for he shall claim, the daughter of them, his own true love._

What did that mean? She suddenly laughed because of how off topic she had just gotten. Brother Blood had nothing to do with her current situation. She sighed and looked up at the sky through her window. She was still so tired from last night. May as well take a nap. She placed a book mark in the book to mark the page for later. She huddled against her bed and closed her eyes. Her thoughts began to drift. She thought of her friends at the beach.

What would they do if they found out something was wrong with her? Would they throw her out? She didn't know, and wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Her mind flittered away to making pancakes with Beast Boy. For a little while he had taken her mind off her problem. She saw him in her mind's eye, smiling at her, always offering his friendship. Her mind twisted the image. She saw him turn away and his smile grow. Into this picture walked a golden haired, blue eyed angel. Terra. He hugged her, and she hugged back. He didn't even look over at Raven. He was always so much happier with her… Raven's thoughts became incoherent as she fell into sleep.

_She was running. She was undressed but for a simple sheet, held tight around her body. Her sides were aching with splitting pain, but she couldn't stop. She had to get out of here. She looked over her shoulder at the receding silhouette of a church steeple. She had to get away. She ran and ran. Rain began to pour onto her from the night sky. She sprinted down an alley way, seeking rest. She stopped and hid behind a garbage can. What had happened to her? What was it? She glanced around to make sure no one was there. She lifted the sheet and looked at her stomach. There was a mark there, as if she had been branded. There was blood on her. Where had it come from? Her body began to shake as she started to sob. As the post-traumatic shock set in, she looked for a way out. How could she have done that? Why was she so stupid? She looked around and saw a pill bottle laying beside the trash can. She picked it up and looked inside. There were still some left. Who would be stupid enough to throw medicine away? She dumped the contents onto her hand. She could take them all. She could die and not have to worry about who was following her. She tilted her head back and poured them into her mouth. She was preparing to swallow them and say good-bye to this world, when a baby's cry stopped her short. No. It can't be. She heard it again. She threw herself forward and spit out the pills. She couldn't be. Not after that. But she was. She was pregnant._

Raven's eyes shot open. What had she been dreaming about? She felt something rising up in her throat. She sat straight up in panic of what she knew was coming. She scrambled out of bed and fell in a heap onto the floor. She coughed. Blood; again. She tried to stand but fell to her knees. She grabbed her stomach. A sharp pain was growing there. Each time she coughed more blood came. It hurt worse. The blood burned like acid as it made it's way up her throat.

Her stomach hurt so much; it felt like it was burning. As she coughed a pool of blood gathered around her body. She gasped as the pain went to a new level. She collapsed onto the ground and shook with convolutions. Blood was coming, not only when she coughed. She writhed on the floor. It was like someone was stabbing her from the inside. She screamed. The pain was too much. She felt tears flowing down her cheeks, to mingle with the blood on her carpet. Why was this happening?

Then, it stopped. She got to her knees and tried to crawl to the door. She had to get out. The world was spinning around her. She crawled to the wall and tried to pull herself up. She paused there, half raised against the wall and tried to collect herself. She looked up and froze with fear.

There was a shadow, standing directly on the spot on the carpet drenched with blood. It was tall. Menacing. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to think. "Heh…Hello?" She rasped, "Who are you? Why are you in my room?" She slunk closer to the door. She was so afraid.

"_He claims the daughter of them," _the shadows voice was like a haunted wind, "_as his own true love."_

She screamed and ran out the door. She was weak from losing so much blood. She careened down the hall, desperate to get away.She ran into the elevator and went down to the first floor. Where was everyone? Where had they gone? The beach. She was couldn't let that thing get to her. She couldn't be alone. When the elevator reached to floor, she ran out of it. She raced down the hall to the door to the outside. She tripped on her way, but picked herself up. She had to keep going.

She ran out the door into the noonday sun. Her cape fluttered behind her as she ran down the shore. She stopped then. She looked down at herself. She was covered in blood. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. She went into the water and went under. When she thought she was clean enough, she teleported to the beach.

It was crowded, as it usually was on a warm summer day. She wanted to find Beast Boy. She wasn't really sure why, but she thought he could take her mind off of the shadow. It had quoted the passage from the book. Why had it been there? She was too tired to think. She scanned the beach for the green figure and saw him standing in the sand. She was near the back of the beach so his back was to her.

She walked towards him. She had no idea why she had the sudden urge to be next to him. When she was close to him she paused. He was talking to someone. A girl. With golden hair. She froze as she saw them turn to each other and hug. She began to sweat as she saw those blue eyes staring into his green ones. But--no. She had left. She had denounced the Titans. She didn't want to be here. She had left to live a normal life. She couldn't be here. Yet here she was. Standing next to Beast Boy. _He was always happier with her._ Raven turned her head away as they hugged yet again. Terra was back.


	4. Chapter 4

By the way, this takes place after "Things Change".

* * *

**Chapter 4: Shocks**

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" asked Beast Boy, one final time.

"Positive," replied Raven.

Beast Boy decided to give up, so he retreated back into his room to change into his swimming trunks. He went to his mirror to see how cool he looked in his dark purple and black swimming trunks. He struck a few poses in front of the mirror, then dashed out to the T-car.

"What took you so long?" asked Robin, who was already waiting in the front seat. Starfire was in the back and Cyborg, of course, was driving. Beast Boy opened the door and hopped in the back seat with Starfire. "Let's go!" Cyborg revved the engine and drove out the tower door. Beast Boy looked over his shoulder as they sped away, wondering if he could see Raven. Earlier this morning, he had thought she was finally opening up. It seemed like she always wanted to be alone. He wished Raven was coming. He didn't like the thought of her all alone in the tower.

He sighed. There wasn't much he could do about it. If Raven wanted to be alone, he didn't want to bother her. It was nice of her to say she was tired. He could tell she was trying. He smiled at the thought of her trying to make sure he wasn't sad.

"Friend Beast Boy," Starfire broke into his chain of thoughts with her innocent sincerity. He glanced at her and didn't wonder why Robin was so in love with her. She looked beautiful in her pale purple two piece swimming suit. He commended her on her choice; it made her look pretty without making her look like a slut. Still, she didn't have the same mystery like Raven did.

"You are very quiet today," she continued, "is something wrong?"

"No," Beast Boy replied, "I just hope Raven won't get too lonely."

Robin looked back at him, "I bet she'll come later," he said.

Beast Boy shrugged his shoulders. There really wasn't anything he could do about it.

The T-car pulled into the parking lot at the Jump City Beach. It was early afternoon, but the beach was already packed with people. "Oh, what a glorious day!" exclaimed Starfire, as she grabbed a surprised Robin and flew him to the water only to drop him in.

"Starfire!" he yelled up at her, laughing all the while. She laughed and dove into the water. "Have you ever played the color game?" Robin inquired.

"Never," Starfire replied interestedly, "Will you teach me the game of colors?"

"Ahh, look at the little love birds," Cyborg commented from back on the beach. He watched as Robin picked up Starfire and proceeded to dip her in the water as she guessed what color he was thinking of.

"Yeah," Beast Boy laughed, "he only wanted to play that for an excuse to pick her up." Beast Boy put his hands to his heart and sighed, "Ohh, Robby-Poo."

Cyborg chuckled remembering the creepy girl in the pink dress-Kitten. "Hey, B.B., I'm gonna go see if Bumblebee's here okay?" before waiting for an answer Cyborg ran off to the snack bar.

"Whatever," Beast Boy said as he ran towards the water. He jumped in and turned himself into a dolphin. He jumped in and out of the water, relishing the warm sun and cool water. He jumped over Robin and Starfire who were currently splashing each other with much enthusiasm. They both looked up and laughed as he swam away. He wanted to change into a shark, but thought people might get to sacred, so he decided against it. He was in the middle of doing a back flip when a familiar voice called out to him. "Beast Boy!" That fast he fell into the water as a green boy. He looked over the water trying to discover if the voice was real or just his imagination.

He looked to the beach, and there she was. Her eyes like the sea when the moon was shining on it. Her hair like incarnations of the sun's warm rays. There she was. Terra.

He swam up to the beach as fast as he could. He stumbled out of the water and ran to her. He stopped short when he got there. He wasn't imagining it. "T…Terra…" he mumbled.

"Um, hi Beast Boy," she said, she sounded a little nervous, like she didn't know what to say. "How are you?" she asked.

"I... I'm good," he replied, still feeling surreal. "How are you?"

"Good," Terra smiled her heart melting smile. "School's over for the summer and everything's going great." She trailed off and looked across the water where Robin and Starfire were laughing about something. "I…kinda had a favor to ask." She said and looked down at her feet.

"Ask away," Beast Boy replied, sure she would ask to rejoin the Titans even though earlier she didn't want to.

"Okay, well, during the school year I stayed at my friends houses," she glanced up at him to see what his expression was. "See, I didn't really have a place to go myself, 'cause I don't really have a family. But, now that school's over, my friend's parents are getting kinda mad at me for always asking to stay."

"So, are you asking to stay at the Tower for a while?" Beast Boy asked, catching on to what she was saying.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, and then looked nervous again. "I mean, is that okay?"

"Of course!" Beast Boy was rewarded by the spur of the moment decision with a hug that put stars in his eyes. When she released him he began to look at the situation practically. "Well," he said, "I have to talk to the others, but I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Beast Boy," Terra looked somewhat apprehensive, "Just because I live there doesn't mean I'm rejoining the team, okay? I don't want you to get the wrong idea. What I said before still stands."

Beast Boy sighed. "Fine," but he was very disheartened that she still refused to be a Titan.

"Thank you so much," she whispered as she enveloped him in yet another hug. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I have to go tell my friends, I'll go to the Tower tomorrow and see what everyone else says," she said, and ran off into the crowd.

He stared at her as she left, her blonde hair streaming behind her. He decided to go tell Cyborg first, when he caught a glimpse of a familiar hooded figure, trying not to be noticed. "Raven!" he called out happily, "I knew you'd come!" He ran over to her and beamed at her.

"I was bored," she lied. Raven didn't want him to know about the blood or how much she had wanted to see him. Especially after what she just saw.

"Guess what?" Beast Boy enthusiastically asked.

"What Beast Boy," Raven tried to sound apathetic, but she didn't think it was working.

"I just talked to Terra, and she said she wanted to stay with us for a while. Isn't that great?"

"She wants to…yeah." Raven attempted excitement, "Sounds…awesome."

Beast Boy looked at her quizzically, "Were you going to go swimming in that?" He circled her with a hand at his chin. "I suppose it would work, if you took off the cloak." With that he reached up and unhooked her cloak.

"Beast Boy!" Raven said, still rattled about seeing Terra, "What if I don't want to swim?"

"Why would you come to the beach if you didn't want to swim?" He transformed into a gorilla and picked her up.

"Beast Boy," she said, a tone of warning in her voice, "put me down."

The gorilla just walked on, oblivious to the petite girl's threats. Raven was tired. She had lost a lot of blood earlier and instead of blasting him like she normally would have, she reclined in his arms. Beast Boy wouldn't admit it, but his heart began to race as he held Raven close. He waded into the water and gently placed her on her feet. He changed back into a human.

"See?" he said playfully, "It's not so bad."

Raven shrugged. Post traumatic stress was setting in. She was feeling a little light headed. After losing so much blood it had been a mistake to come straight here. She should have found a place to rest. In the next instant she heard wind rushing by her as she fell towards the water.

"Raven?" Beast Boy grabbed her before she hit the water. He put one hand around her waist to hold her up. His heart began to beat faster, this time from fear as well as being this close to her. Did she just faint? "Raven?" He shook her a little to try to wake her up. She seemed to be unconscious. He shook her harder, "Raven!"

She heard her name. She looked up and saw Beast Boy's face inches away from hers. As an empath, she felt the anxiety flowing out of him. "Raven, are you okay?" His eyes were worried as he tried to make sense out of what just happened.

"I'll be fine. I'm just tired." She was. She didn't even bother to quell the feeling she got because of his arm wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm just tired."

It seemed like Beast Boy's heart was audible to everyone at the beach. His cheeks were red as he looked down at Raven with her head on his shoulder. "Come on Rae," he half whispered, "I'll take you back to the beach, and we can get the others and go home. Does that sound good." She nodded her head. She felt so weak. She wasn't acting normal, but she was too tired to care.

Beast Boy scooped her up into his arms and began to walk to the beach. Hadn't Raven said she was sleeping at the Tower? If she had been, why was she still so tired? He sighed and looked down at her almost limp body. He'd ask her when she felt better. He had just set his feet on the sand when the screams broke out.

Robin ran up to him, fully costumed, seemingly from no where. "What happened to Raven?" he asked. Before Beast Boy could answer he continued, "Well, put her someplace safe. Overload is here, and the Teen Titans have to fight him before he hurts anyone. Star and Cyborg are already waiting my signal. Hurry!" Beast Boy speculated for a minute at the prospect of Robin somehow changing from his red swimming trunks into his uniform, then remembered the weak girl he was carrying.

He began to run to the snack bar so he could put Raven inside to keep her safe. "No," she whispered, "I'm a Titan. I'm not going to hide." She summoned her remaining strength flew crookedly a few feet away.

"Alright," he said, "but if it looks like you are in any danger at all, I'm getting you out of here." She nodded. He knew Raven. She never wanted to admit if she was hurt; she would push herself to the end. So he was going to have to look out for her.

They looked up as Overload sauntered towards them, electricity sparking off his body.

"Teen Titans, GO!"

* * *

If you have never played the color game you are sorely missing out, and should find someone to explain it to you. 


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, this chapter's pretty short, but it's been a while so I put what I have so far. It doesn't have much for the plot, but we gotta get through these fight scenes. Sorry for the legnth and the legnth of time it's taken me to update.

* * *

"TEEN TITANS, GO!"

Robin ran at Overload, his bo-staff up and ready. Starfire soared overhead and fired blazing starbolts at the monster. Cyborg stood back and fired his laser arm cannon. Robin jumped in the air and swung his staff on Overload's head. Unfortunately, his staff was metal. Overload sent a shockwave through the staff. The boy wonder was flung into the air. He landed a few feet away and waited as Cyborg tried his hand.

Cyborg ran at it, firing his cannon all the way. Overload just stood there and took the assault; apparently the laser was having no effect. As he got closer, Cyborg turned his cannon back into his fist. He picked up speed and charged at the electric monster. When he got close enough he hit it with a hard uppercut. Overload went flying and landed with and audible noise. "Booyah!" exclaimed Cyborg, certain of victory.

Overload stood up and glared at Cyborg. He was mad. He ran at Cyborg and hit the ground. "Cyborg," Starfire yelled, "watch out!" He glanced up at her confusedly and looked back to Overload.

"What?" he inquired. At that instant he was thrown off the ground with an electric bolt that came up from the ground. While in the air he said to himself, "Well, that's new." He was brought back to reality as the ground came rushing towards him as he fell. He covered his face with his hands and waited for the pain. Inches before he hit the ground, a black shroud wrapped around him and set him lightly on the beach. He peered back to see a tired looking Raven.

She yelled, "Are you okay?"

He nodded and turned his attention back to Overload. Beast Boy was changing into animals and trying to do some damage, but it seemed like he was only making him madder. Starfire continued to throw starbolts, while Robin readied his bird-a-rangs. He turned back around, "Are you okay, Raven?" he yelled. She gave him a slight smile which he took to mean yes. He ran at Overload to join the others in their attack.

Raven watched from a short distance. She was so tired…but she had to fight. She had to help her friends. Weakly, she levitated herself into the air and began to slowly fly toward the battle. Just then Overload decided he had had it. He sent a large electric wave at the Titans. They screamed as they were flung far away. Overload was pleased until he looked up to see one standing. Or flying, shall we say. Raven was far enough away to avoid the attack.

Overload let out a cry and ran towards her. "Oh, crap," she whispered. She looked around for help. Robin and Cyborg were knocked out and just lying there. Starfire wasn't faring much better. She struggled to get up but collapsed. Beast Boy slowly stood up and saw Overload charging at Raven. His eyes widened in fear. He tried to run and help her, but he kept slipping in the sand.

_I guess it's just me then,_ she thought. As Overload got nearer, she gathered her remaining strength. She set herself on the ground, so she wouldn't have to waste her energy flying. Overload was twenty feet away. "Azerath…" Ten feet. "Metrion…" Five. "ZINTHOS!" Raven raised her hands and made a shield of black energy. Overload slammed his fists down on it, trying to break it. He barraged her weak shield with his attacks, and she started to lose her footing.

Raven's feet were getting pushed farther and farther into the sand. She couldn't take much more of this. She began to feel light headed again. "Oh, no," she gasped. This time Beast Boy wasn't there to take care of her. She had to keep fighting. Overload hit the shield a final time. It shattered into a million glass like shards that disappeared before they hit the ground. Raven fell to her knees from exhaustion, and looked up at her attacker. Overload reared back a final time, to finish the battle. Raven's eye's grew as large as almonds; filled with her fear. She tried to move, tried to fight-anything. She couldn't move.

As Overload's fist cam towards her, she squeezed her eyes closed and waited for the blow. She waited, and it didn't come. She opened her eyes to see a green lion attacking the monster. She couldn't believe it. Somehow Beast Boy had managed to get there and stop Overload. The lion turned into a gorilla, that began to slash at the electric monster. Overload swung his arm around and threw Beast Boy off the beach and into the water.

"Beast Boy!" Raven screamed. She staggered over to the water and started going in after him. "Of course," she said out loud, "water." She looked over her shoulder to see the monster lumbering towards them. She waded out to Beast Boy and put her arm under his shoulders to lift him out of the water. He was barely conscious. Now she just had to wait.

When Overload got to the water's edge he took a few steps back and jumped. He went flying through the air; going straight for Beast Boy and Raven. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven gathered the remnants of her obsidian energy and flung it at Overload. She kept the stream of power going long enough for him to fall of course. He tumbled into the water where he turned into steam. The chip that made up his face washed onto shore, as his physical body melted.

"Raven…" Beast Boy trailed off. He put a hand to his head and stood up on his own. "Are you…"

"I'm fine," she said, even though she was still light headed.

"Come on," he said. He took her hand and started leading her toward the others. "Let's wake them up, then go home." As they were walking up the beach, Beast Boy noticed Raven's cloak, which he had taken off so she could go swimming. He led her over to it and wrapped it around her. "Here," he said as he fastened the pin.

"Thank you," Raven said, and weakly smiled at him. "You saved me."

"No," Beast Boy hurriedly said, slightly blushing, "You almost got hurt, and it would have been my fault. I should have made you…"

"Don't worry about it," Raven replied with her usual curtness. She turned and walked to the others, leaving the changling to catch up with her.

The next half hour was a blur for Raven. The other woke up, piled into the car and sped home. She vaguely remembered leaning her head on Beast Boy on the way home, but she supposed that was right before she fell asleep. Walking up to the control room was more than surreal. From what seemed like a distance she heard someone say something about a red stain on the floor. When she got to the meeting room she flopped on the couch and was asleep in seconds.

Her sleep was short, and thankfully dreamless. A harsh noise startled her from her nap. Her head was pounding. _Please, Azar, _she prayed, _please don't let anymore blood come…please…_ She squinted her eyes open. The lights seemed too bright. She could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. Her headache dissipated as her eyes accustomed themselves to the light.

Raven sat up and looked towards the kitchen. Someone was rummaging through the cabinets. She put her hand to her head and stood up. If she could just get some herbal tea, she'd feel fine. She walked into the kitchen to see Beast Boy hastily search the cupboards. "Don't tell me you lost the remote in there."

Beast Boy visibly jumped at the sound of her voice. "Good morning sleeping beauty," at these last words he realized what he said and visibly blushed. Raven glanced at the clock in the kitchen, and lifted her eyebrows at him. "Okay, so you were only asleep for about an hour…" he seemed to be stumbling over his words. Raven inwardly chuckled at his inarticulateness. "Umm…do you want something to eat?"

"That's usually why people go to the kitchen. I just want some herbal tea."

"Oh," Beast Boy scratched his head and looked away, "well, I thought you might want some when you woke up and I tried to make some…but…"

"But what?" Raven rolled her eyes, how can anyone mess up tea?

"I kinda, accidentally, maybe, might have, ummm, tried to microwave the water and left a spoon, and ummm, the only tea bags that were left, in, so… it exploded." He hung his head and waited for the sarcastic remark.

Instead, he heard a laugh. Maybe it was because she was so tired, or maybe because she really just wanted a reason to laugh. He looked up at her. She had a hand over her mouth and was laughing. At something he had done. He felt a slight trill inside that he had finally gotten her to laugh without obvious efforts.

"So, you're not mad?" His voice filled with unanswered hope.

"Does it look like I am?" she replied. "I can just go to the coffee shop; they sell some really good tea."

"But," Beast Boy stammered, "I ruined your tea, I should make it up to you. Plus, I'm not gonna let you fly anywhere after that battle drained you so much." His mind began to formulate a plan. "I can fly you there and I can pay, since I blew up your tea in the first place."

"If you want to," Raven was a little surprised at the offer.

Beast Boy's face was lit with a brilliant smile, "To the roof!" he exclaimed and ran off to the elevator.

As Raven went to catch up with him her mind began to race. _Normally I would never let anyone go with me. What's wrong with me? I can't feel this way towards him…not with Terra coming back. He was always so happy with her…_ Her thoughts continued like this until they reached the roof. She steeped out and was awed by the late afternoon beauty. The sun was beginning to set and cast an aura on the sky around it. It was one of those young summer nights that people remember forever. Beast Boy turned to her and smiled, "Are you ready?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you ready?" Beast Boy smiled at the quizzical look Raven gave him. He laughed and jumped into the air to turn into a giant eagle.

"What?" Raven walked up to him, as the changeling landed on the roof. Beast Boy spread his wings out and got lower to the ground. "Do…" Raven paused, "do you want me to…" Beast Boy motioned with his head towards his back. She carefully stepped past his wings and sat on his back. She sighed as she thought, _What have I gotten myself into. _As Beast Boy shot into the air, Raven grabbed some of his feathers to hold on to. She let herself think for a moment about how soft his feathers were.

The sky glowed bright as they flew over the city. The summer sun shined warm as it began to turn the sky into dusk. Raven closed her eyes and lifted up her head. The wind rushed past her, making her hair and cloak flow behind her. She intertwined her fingers in his feathers, and felt her blood pump a little faster. It felt nice to fly without using any energy of her own. While Beast Boy flew to their destination, Raven had time to think.

Terra. _He was always so happy with her. _Why did it matter to her anyway? Why did she care if Beast Boy and Terra got back together? When they hugged, what was it she had felt? It couldn't be jealousy. What was there to be jealous of? Raven sighed. Why did it matter? Beast Boy would only see her as the cold goth. But, he had been so nice lately. Maybe…no. She hadn't been herself.

She couldn't let Beast Boy in. He couldn't see what was haunting her. No one could. She was ashamed at her fear of the dreams; the blood. She had enough to worry about without Terra on her mind. She refused to come between Terra and Beast Boy. She would be her regular self again, and she wouldn't let Terra bother her.

Beast Boy flew down and landed in front of her favorite coffee shop. He changed back into a human and beamed at her. "So?" he asked smiling, "how was the flight?"

"Tolerable," she replied coldly. She wouldn't tell him how her pulse raced when she felt how soft his feathers were, how she really had like flying on his back, and how she decided she would be as distant as ever to keep him away from her. Beast Boy looked crestfallen. He had hoped she would enjoy it. Raven walked into the shop, Beast Boy on her heels.

"Herbal tea, please," Raven said to the person behind the counter. He looked to be a teenager, with black hair and a black skull shirt (some of you may know him as goth-boy).

"You can sit down, Rae, I'll bring it to your table," the boy said as Beast Boy fished out money from his pockets. Raven smiled at him and went to sit down. Beast Boy came and sat across from her.

"So, you know that guy?" Beast Boy asked, a bit irked that they had been so casual with one another.

"Yeah," Raven glanced over to where he was making her tea, "we met at that party Blackfire took us to. Then a few months later he started working here."

"Oh." Beast Boy sat for a moment before remembering his news. "Hey Raven, guess what?" He perked up as he recalled what happened at the beach, "You know how Terra wanted to stay at the Tower for a while? I asked Robin and he said it was okay. Isn't that great?" he grinned at her.

"Wonderful," she said in her monotone voice. Terra? Staying with them? That wasn't that bad. She could deal with it. The worker came up to the table and handed her a steaming cup of tea.

"Hey, Rave," he said smiling, "tonight's open mic night. You gonna grace us with your poetry? Or maybe sing a little song for us?"

"I don't sing, Matt," she laughed, "How many times have we had this discussion?"

"Fine," Matt gave in, "deny the world your talent." He noticed someone waiting to order and left them alone.

"You sing?" Beast Boy asked, not willing to admit to himself he was envious of Matt's friendship with Raven.

"No," she said sharply, giving him a hard look. She regretted it a little when he looked away, hurt and a little sad. "Beast Boy…" He glanced up at her, a wounded look in his eyes. "I didn't mean…" she trailed off.

"It's okay," he said as he stared at the table. Raven took a drink of her tea. "Is it good?" he asked. She nodded absently. "I'm sorry I messed up your tea earlier."

"Really, it's okay," Raven said as she took another drink, "I haven't been here in a while anyway." She took a long swallow of her tea and looked down into the empty cup. The tea had helped clear her mind. She glanced out the window to see the sun making it's way past the horizon. It would get dark soon. She stood up and looked down at Beast Boy. "We'd better get going," she said.

As they walked to the door she turned and waved to Matt at the counter. Matt blew her a kiss causing her to blush as she walked out. She went outside and was startled by Beast Boy's gaze. "So, you and Matt are pretty close, eh?" he asked, a cold anger in his voice.

Raven shrugged, "We're friends." She turned and started walking back to the tower.

"Raven!" Beast Boy called out chasing after her.

"What?" She glared at him.

"I thought I was going to fly us home."

"Maybe, I'd rather walk," Raven scoffed.

Beast Boy insisted, "But after that battle,"

She turned on him, "I can take care of myself. I don't need you taking care of me. Why don't you just fly home now, and leave me alone," she yelled.

Beast Boy froze. He stared at her as she walked away from him. Raven squeezed her eyes shut. She had to keep him out. Terra was coming back. He liked her better. She opened her eyes as the changeling ran in front of her. "What is your deal?" he yelled at her, his face getting close to hers. "I try to be nice, all day, and this is what I get? I make you pancakes, I try so hard, and what do you do? You flirt with some guy right in front of me!" Beast Boy wasn't really sure why he said that last thing, but he saw it hit its mark.

"I wasn't flirting," Raven answered coldly. "And why do you care anyway? Maybe, I didn't want you to try so hard, did you ever think of that?" She glared at him, "Maybe, I just wanted to be alone." She used what little empathic strength she had to teleport back to the Tower. Beast Boy stood there for a second, still angry and hurt, before changing into a bird and flying back home.

Raven looked around her room. The carpets were stained with blood, that she knew wouldn't come out. She couldn't sleep here tonight, but where else could she? She could probably stay with Starfire, the alien would love having a sleepover. She decided it wouldn't be that bad, and went to go ask if she could. But, what if, when she woke up…that thing came back. She paused on her way to Starfire's room. She couldn't endanger her friend like that. If it came she could fight it. That's what she should have done in the first place.

Her mind made up, she went to Starfire's room and knocked on the door. No answer. She must be in the control room. Raven began to walk there.

Beast Boy landed on the roof, his anger festering. As he walked to his room Cyborg was walking by. "Hey, man," he said, "where've you been?"

"Nowhere," Beast Boy replied as cold as Raven ever was.

"Hey, I was just askin'," Cyborg trailed off as Beast Boy walked away. Before going to his room, he went to the kitchen and scarfed down some food. He went to his room and sat down on his messy bed. Why had Raven acted like that? Why had he? It didn't matter. He soothed himself with the thought of Terra coming back, and drifted off to sleep.

Raven walked into the control room, where Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire were watching T.V. "Raven," Cyborg began, "What's up with BB?"

"How should I know?" she snapped, and sat down next to Starfire, who was snuggled up against Robin. "Starfire," she began warily, "I was wondering…can I stay with you tonight?"

Starfire's eyes began to glow, "Like a party of slumber?" Raven nodded. "Oh, of course friend! We shall have glorious fun! We can have the girl talk, and do each others hair and," she trailed off, excitement shining from her eyes. Raven sighed. She was in for quite a night. "I shall make some popping corn, then we shall commence with the party!" she exclaimed as she flew off into the kitchen. In a few minutes she retuned carrying a huge bowl full of popcorn. She floated over in front of the couch. "Good night friend Cyborg," she smiled as she flew over to the boy wonder. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night Robin," she whispered.

"Good night Star," he said as he watched her fly out the door. "Have fun Raven," he interjected as Raven followed Starfire down the hall. Robin leaned over to Cyborg, "Why would Raven want to have a sleepover with Starfire? She hates doing girly stuff."

"I have no idea, man," Cyborg said, "but I guess that means you will be a little lonely tonight."

"Shut up, Cy," Robin said, hitting him over his head, "you know we haven't..." he trailed off.

"Dude, you need to chill," Cyborg said rubbing his head where a bruise was forming, "It was a joke."

Raven walked into Starfire's room and was amazed, again, at the amount of purple. Starfire took out some large, fluffly, purple, throw pillows and setteled them on her arge circluar bed. She sat on one side and put the popcorn in the middle. Raven drifted over and sat on the other side directly across from her. She used her magic to call over a throw pillow, and greatfully leaned against it. Starfire giggled, "Now, we shall begin the girl talk!"

Raven looked over at her. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she could talk to her. Starfire might understand what was happening to her. She might understand her feelings towards Beast Boy... Her thinking stopped. She didn't have feelings for Beast Boy. She grabbed a handfull of popcorn, and settled in for a night of girl talk. "So," she started, "are you and Robin officially a couple?" She laughed a little at the small blush onStarfire'sface. Raven smiled an almost invisible smile, as she listend to the alien talk about the love she had found for the team leader. Yeah, maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Sorry, the chapter ended kind of abruptly. I promise there will be more girl talk in the next chapter. One thing I should clear up, in the last chapter Raven fought without her cloak on. I probably should have made that clearer, but Beast Boy took it off for her to go swimming, and put it back on gave it back to her later. Hope you like this chapter:) 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, or any shops mentioned in this chapter. If I did, I would never have let them cancel the show, and I would have many more clothes.

This chapter is a bit boring, but the next one will be better. The little ruler thing wasn't working, so I had to make my own little lines.

Ch. 7

Raven leaned back and listened as Starfire continued to talk about her relationship with the team leader. She reached for some more popcorn, and paused when she realized that she had stopped talking. There was a question in Starfire's eyes as Raven looked up. "You have barely said a word, friend. What have you been thinking about?"

"Oh," Raven trailed off, "I was listening more than thinking."

Starfire kept on staring at her, "Is something troubling you, friend?"

"No," Raven said, thinking of blood…and Beast Boy.

"Raven," she said quietly, "you can trust me. You are the closest thing I have had to a sister. You are dearer to me than Blackfire could ever be," she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before continuing. "You can always trust a true sister."

"A sister?" Raven cocked an eyebrow.

"Someone who will always be there to talk to. Someone you can always trust. A best friend," she smiled, "a sister." Raven showed an almost invisible smile. "So now tell me, what is the problem?"

"Starfire…" Raven paused to think for a moment. "I'm not sure. I…" she sighed, "I don't know how to explain this. I've been feeling strange lately," Raven decided she wouldn't tell her about the blood, or the thing that had been in her room. "There is someone." She tried not to see him in her mind. "I," she stopped, "Do I really have to talk about this?"

"Raven," Starfire was the picture of a caring friend, "if you do not talk about it, it will only get worse." Raven clenched her hands in the pillow. "Now," Starfire continued, "Who is this 'someone'?"

Raven shook her head, "That's the problem. I've been feeling weird around this person. It reminds me of what I felt for Malchior. Except it's different this time. And he has a girlfriend." Blonde hair flashed through her mind's eye. "Well, not yet. But…they were always so happy together. And it seems like I'll never be as good as her," she whispered.

"Do you care for him?" she asked gently.

"I'm not sure," Raven whispered. She thought of the blood, and wondered if something involved in that was messing with her emotions.

"If you care for him, you should tell him. This other girl," Starfire scoffed at the word, "is probably just some, how do you say, mindless bimbo?" Raven laughed. She wondered what Starfire would say if she knew who she had said that about. "I think, you should just take a chance and tell him."

"But..." she said quietly, "what if he chooses me, and isn't as happy?"

"Raven," Starfire laughed, "if he truly cares for you as well, he will be happy. I am wondering though, who this 'he' is."

"Oh, he's...just this guy I know who works at the coffee shop," Raven lied.

"Dear friend," Starfire said, "you are sad." All of a sudden she perked up. "I shall return shortly," she said as she ran to her closet and began to rummage around. She came back holding a necklace of sorts. "Here," she said as she put it around Raven's neck. "It is a charm from my planet, used to keep away evil spirits." Raven started. Did she know something about the thing that was after her? "In my home, sadness is considered an evil spirit."

"Oh," Raven said as she looked down at the necklace. "It's...pretty. Thank you." Starfire beamed at her.

"Now, shall we move on to the gossip?" Starfire happily asked. Raven let out a half hearted laugh and nodded. "Do you think Jinx still likes Cyborg?"

"I don't know," Raven considered, "When we were fighting the Brotherhood, she showed up with Kid Flash, so..."

Raven and Starfire talked on into the night. When they were finally going to sleep, Raven smiled a content smile, and thought that maybe the charm would work with other evil spirits.

timetimetimetimetimetime

Raven opened her eyes slowly. She lay on top of the blanket on Starfire's bed. She looked over. Starfire lay with her head hanging over the bed, her hair almost touching the ground. Raven sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt it come up in her throat. She ran into Starfire's bathroom, and stood over the sink.

Wasn't the charm supposed to help? She coughed. The blood came. Except this time she didn't feel the sharp pain. She coughed again. There was less blood this time. Then it stopped all together. Raven looked at her reflection in the mirror. The necklace shown bright in the reflective glass. Raven smiled. Looks like the charm really worked.

She washed the blood down the sink and went back to Starfire's room. Starfire was sitting up on the bed, "Are you alright friend? I heard you coughing."

"I'm fine."

"Here," Starfire went over and took the necklace back.

"What? I thought..." Raven squinted at Starfire.

"Well," Starfire looked down, "After wearing this, the necklace looses some of it's potency. It must be not be worn for a few days, so it can gain it back."

"Oh," Raven shrugged. She couldn't act like this was a big deal.

At that second the doorbell rang. Starfire looked puzzled. "Who could be here at this hour?" Raven glanced at the clock. 9:30. "They couldn't have ordered a pizza this early in the morning."

Raven shrugged again, and said, "Let's go find out who it is."

linelinelinelinelineline

Beast Boy trailed after Robin and Cyborg. Why had someone chosen this morning to ring the doorbell so early? He had just woken up and gone to the control room when it happened. He sighed. Last night he hadn't had a very good sleep. When the boys got to the door, Raven and Starfire were already there, about to answer it.

"Good morning, Starfire," Robin said, moving over and kissing her on the cheek. "Did you and Raven have a good sleep over?"

"Robin," Cyborg cut in, "can you save your love talk until after we figure out who woke me up this early?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy said. He made sure he didn't look at Raven. The doorbell rang again. Robin went over and opened the door. Beast Boy almost gasped. Almost. She stood there, her blonde hair flowing in the wind, her eyes as blue as saphires. "Terra," he whispered. She was wearing blue jeans, and a white tank top.

"Um, hi," she said uncertanly, "I know I wasn't supposed to come this early, but I had something I wanted to tell you." She paused, "You are letting me stay here right?"

As soon as she said that, Starfire lept forward and envelloped her in one of her famous hugs. "Of course!" she squeeled. "Come inside friend!" She grabbed her hand and flew her up the stairs.

Robin laughed, "Starfire," he said affectionatly, and ran after her. Cyborg just shook his head and followed. Beast Boy was walking up the stairs when he noticed Raven hadn't moved. He looked back and saw her staring at the door.

"Rae..." he trailed off. He shrugged and ran up the stairs. Why should he try to figure out what was wrong if she was only going to yell at him? Plus, Terra was waiting. Terra.

When he got to the control room, everyone was already there. Even Raven. She must have teleported. He sat down on the couch and smiled up at Terra, who was standing in front of the T.V. "So what were you gonna say?" he asked.

"Well," she beamed, "tonight, one of my friends from school is throwing a huge party, and I wanted to know if you guys wanted to come."

"Yeah!"

"Oh, yes!"

"Sure."

Cyborg laughed, "Sounds like fun."

Raven was the only one who didn't say anything. She just shrugged.

"I wanted to ask you early," Terra continued, "becuase I thought we could all go to the mall to get some new clothes for the party."

"That'd be awsome!" Beast Boy smiled, "Right?" he looked at the other Titans, who all agreed as well.

"What kind of party is it?" Robin asked, "Formal? Casual?" He rose his eyebrows, "What?"

"Well, it's casual, but it doesn't look like you guys have any casual clothes." Terra smiled. "So, who's up for shopping?"

After everyone had showered, and eaten a quick breakfast, the T-car sped towards the mall. "So, where should we go first?" Beast Boy asked the group when they had entered the large shopping mall.

"How about...Pac Sun?" Terra asked. "I could probably find some good clothes for myself and Starfire there." She studied the boys. "You guys might be able to find something there too. I think Raven would like Hot Topic more, though." She turned and led them to a store with a large sign with a sun on it.

"Hello," the store clerk said as she approached the group, "If you need help finding anything, just ask me." She smiled and went to help another customer.

"Now," Terra beamed, "you boys go see if you can find anything you like." She turned to Starfire, "I think you need some jeans." As Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy began looking through the racks of clothes, Terra led Starfire to the jeans. Raven slowly wandered through the store, looking at random shirts.

Terra picked up a pair of light blue jeans and held them up to Starfire. "Try these on," she insisted. Starfire went into the dressing room. A few minutes later she poked her head out of the door.

"Um..." she slowly eased herself from behind the door, "is this acceptable?"

"Starfire," Robin said walking over from the other side of the store, "they...you..." he blushed, and looked down. The jeans fit her perfectly. They were long enough for her legs, and they fit snugly on her small figure.

Starfire smiled, "Now I must locate a shirt, yes?"

"Yeah," Terra said, shooing Robin back to look for his own clothes. Starfire looked at the shirts, forgetting to change back into her normal attire.

She let out a sound of happiness, and held up a lavander colored shirt. "Raven," she glanced over at her friend, "what do you think of this?"

"It suits you," Raven commented. The shirt was purple, Starfire's favorite color, and looked as if it would fit her as well as her jeans did. The shirt had a pretty flower on it. "It suits you," Raven repeated.

Starfire squeeled, "Then I shall buy it!" she laughed. "Many thanks to you," she said turning to Terra, "for showing me these wonderful clothing items."

"No problem," Terra shrugged, "looks like the guys found some stuff too." The girls walked over to the check out counter, where the boys were waiting. Cyborg was getting a shirt and jeans, and Robin and Beast Boy were both getting jeans as well.

"Terra," Beast Boy asked, "aren't you getting anything?"

She laughed, "I already have normal clothes."

"Should I charge all this together?" the clerk asked.

"Yeah," Robin said pulling out the Teen Titans account card.

Minutes later the Titans walked out of the store holding bags full of clothes. "May I see your purchases?" Starfire inquired.

"You can see them tonight when we wear them at the party," Cyborg laughed.

"C'mon," Terra said, leading them in another direction, "Raven still needs an outfit, and BB and Robin still need shirts." She led them to a store with bright red letters hanging over the arched doorway. "Hot Topic," she smiled, "all about the music. Or something like that."

Raven smiled as she walked into the store. This was her kind of place. "Hey, there," the clerk said, "all shirts are half off. If you need anything just come get me." He smiled at the girls. Raven had to admit, he was pretty good looking. He had black hair that did the little sweep across his forhead. She blushed as she moved to look on the shelves.

Beast Boy noticed her blush and for an unknown reason to him, he was mad. He hadn't said a word to her all day long, and Terra was here with him. But he was still mad that there was a guy making Raven blush.

Raven picked out a pair of dark blue jeans, and began looking for a shirt. She smiled when she came across a black T-shirt with a red rose on it. Upon looking closer, she noticed a white outline of a raven holding the rose in it's beak. She grabbed it.

"Hey, Raven!" Robin called over, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," she said as she ran over to the counter. She laid her stuff down, and glanced over the other items. Beast Boy and Robin were both getting shirts, but she couldn't really tell what was on them.

"Did you find everything okay?" the worker asked, smiling at Raven.

"Yes," Beast Boy said sharply. Raven glanced at him. She heard Starfire telling her to tell the person she cares about...but what if she was wrong? Terra was back. He would never like a person like her. Why get her hopes up?

Robin paid with the Teen Titan account card, and they left the store. "Man," Cyborg said, "I'm hungery. Who else wants to grab something from the food court?"

"Yeah," Robin agreed, "it's about lunch time anyway."

"Ooo," Starfire pondered once they arrived at the food court, "What shall I get?"

"I'm getting Chick-fil-A," Terra announced.

Beast Boy gasped, "Terra, how could you?" He grinned when she playfully punched him in the arm.

Raven tried to ignore the transaction, and declared, "I'm getting Japanese." She didn't say another word as she moved off to get her food.

The rest of the group went out to find what they wanted. When they got it, they found a table, and began to devour their food. "So," Beast Boy asked, while eating his steamed vegetables, "What have you been doing lately Terra?"

"Not much," she said, "School's over, and I've just been hanging out with my friends."

Beast Boy tried to act casual, "Do you have a boyfriend or anything?" Raven tried not to wince, or look too interested.

"No," Terra shrugged, "guess I just haven't found a guy I like enought yet." Beast Boy smiled, and Raven stared at her food. Why was she feeling like this? She didn't like Beast Boy. He was...Beast Boy. He was the one who always tried to make her smile. He was the one she couldn't stand. Right?

Robin and Starfire had begun their own discussion about some Tamaranian thing.

"Why are you askin' BB?" Cyborg asked, laughing.

"Oh, uh, no reason," Beast Boy blushed. Terra laughed.

No reason? Maybe Raven shouldn't go to this party after all. She would just have to watch Beast Boy and Terra get together again. But, she asked herself for the hundreth time, why did she care so much?

End of Chapter

Author's note: Will Raven go to the dance? Will Beast Boy and Terra get together again? Will the guy from Hot Topic stop flirting with pretty girls? Some of the answers in shall be in the next chapter!

That was fun, I couldn't resist. Hope you liked this chapter. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you so much for all the reviews. I luv you guys. I shall dedicate this chapter to: **Forever-Doing-Homework, Anita King, Kurai Dragon Master, too-much-tv, shinsie 101, beautifulpurpleflame, and everyone else who reviewed! You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TT, or the songs "Everytime we touch" by Cascada, or "Over and Over" by Three Days Grace.**

Chapter 8

_Why am I doing this?_ Raven thought as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had to admit, what she was wearing didn't look to bad. She shook her head. She shouldn't be going to this party. She already knew what was going to happen. She would watch Terra and Beast Boy dance, and she would sit alone becuase no one ever noticed her at parties. Except for Matt, but he was different.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire called from the hall outside her room, "You will never guess! Tonight's a full moon!" she heard her friend laugh, "Isn't it wonderful?" there was a pause, "Are you prepared?"

Raven waited a moment before answering, "Yeah," she said, going into the hall. Starfire was floating by her door, wearing the clothes they had bought earlier. When she went out, Starfire's face lit up.

"Oh, friend!" She exclaimed, "you look beautiful!" Raven smiled at her as they made their way to the control room. She paused as she entered the room. Robin was talking to Cyborg, both wearing their new clothes. Raven laughed as her teenaged mind told her that Robin looked good tonight. Her mind wandered when she looked over at Beast Boy. He was laughing with Terra, who looked stunning in a pair of tight jeans, and a red T-shirt.

"You guys ready to go?" Terra smiled.

"I was born ready," Beast Boy said, trying to sound cool, and making Terra laugh. Raven felt something akin to jealousy, as the two walked by to get to the car. When he was walking by her, Beast Boy looked at her.

He felt weird. He didn't know how else to describe it. He was with Terra. Finally. He had missed her so much. They had never actually talked about, but they both knew they would dance together tonight. But still, he couldn't help glancing at Raven. He couldn't help thinking about her. He kept thinking of her hand touching his when they had made breakfast. He thought of how it felt, watching her being hit on by that Matt guy. Even when he was with Terra, every once in a while, a thought of Raven would come to him. He didn't know why, but he did know, that even after all the time on the Titans, Raven still couldn't stand him. She had proved that last night.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Booyah," Cyborg said as they came to the party. It was a huge outdoor party, with a snack bar and a small stage for the DJ. It looked like the word had gotten out, becuase most of the teens in the city had shown up.

"Hey, Cyborg," Terra laughed, "Guess who I invited?"

"Huh?" Cyborg asked, as a bee landed on his shoulder. He started as the bee flew away and grew to take the shape of a teenaged girl. "Hey, Bee," he smiled at her.

"Hey yourself Sparky," She laughed as she grabbed his hand and led him to the dance floor.

"Well, that took a long time," Raven remarked as she watched the couple dance to some fast, semi-techno song.

"Yeah," Robin trailed off. "So, uh, Starfire," he began.

"Oh, yes!" Starfire exclaimed, "I would love to dance!" Robin laughed as she linked arms with him and they walked to the dance floor.

Starfire spun around began to dance to the music. For a moment, Robin was overcome with how pretty she looked, before joining her.

Raven looked over her shoulder to see Terra and Beast Boy flirting. She sighed. Why had she come? As a new song started, she heard Terra yell, "I love this song!" She ran onto the dance floor, with Beast Boy right behind her. Beast Boy watched her dance; her golden hair shining in the light, from spotlights and lamps hung overhead. She was so beautiful.

"Beast Boy?" she asked, "are you just gonna stand there? Or are you gonna dance?" He laughed and started to dance. She grabbed his hand, stood apart from him, and spun in so his arm was wrapped around her. He reveld in her scent before she spun away. She laughed and took both his hands. They started to dance again. Suddenly her arms were around him. He hugged her close as she said happily, "Oh, Beast Boy, I didn't want to admit it, but I really missed you."

"I missed you too," he said. But even as he said this his eyes wandered past the girl in his arms to the one sitting alone at the snack bar.

Terra pulled back as a new song started. A huge smile lit her face. She squeezed Beast Boy's hand and started to dance and sing along with it.

_I still hear your voice,_

_When you sleep next to me,_

Raven tried to look away, but her eyes were glued to Terra and Beast Boy. Why couldn't she be like that? Instead of pushing it away like she usually did, she embraced her anger. Terra broke his heart, and now just comes back and it's okay. She felt a wave of sadness come up. Beast Boy would never care about her like that. He was always so happy with her.

_I still feel your touch in my dreams_

_Forgive me my weakness,_

_But I don't know why,_

_Without you it's hard to get by,_

Terra moved to the beat, always staying close to Beast Boy. She was so happy. Even after everything, she had known he would always be there.

_'Cuase everytime we touch_

_I get this feeling,_

_Everytime we kiss, _

_I swear I could fly,_

Beast Boy danced, watching Terra. She closed her eyes and blindly danced, which led her closer to Beast Boy. His heart raced. She opened her eyes and stared up into his for a second, and her face became red, not just becuase of the fast dance.

_Can't you hear my heart beat fast,_

_I want this to last_

_Need you by my side _

On another part of the dance floor, Starfire moved closer to Robin. She put her arms around his neck, and smiled up at him.

_'Cause every time we touch,_

_I feel the static,_

_And every time we kiss,_

_I reach for the sky,_

Bumblebee laughed. "You know, for someone who's half robot, you can't dance to tencho."

"Hey," Cyborg laughed. "Now that," he stopped talking as she took his hand.

"Just dance," she said, "you have to relax."

_Can't you hear my heart beat so,_

_I can't let you go,_

_Want you in my life._

Raven watched, her heart sinking futher. She just wanted to leave. Finally she pulled her eyes off of Beast Boy. Why did she keep thinking about him?

_Your arms are my castle,_

_Your heart is my sky._

_They wipe away tears that I cry (I cry)_

Raven squeezed her eyes shut. She got so sick of being alone sometimes. Sure, sometimes she reveled in the solitued, but tonight...she just wished someone would be there.

_The good and the bad times,_

_We've been through them all._

_You make me rise when I fall.._

"Excuese me," Raven turned around when the voice addressed her. "I'm sorry to bother you," she looked at the blonde haired boy and raised her eyebrows at him. He ran his hand through his hair, "I was wondering, do you wanna dance?"

_'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling_

_And every time we kiss,_

_I swear I can fly_

"Who are you?" Raven asked the boy.

"My name's Sebastian," he smiled at her, "So do you want to dance, or what?"

_Can't you feel my heart beat fast,_

_I want this to last,_

_Need you by my side_

Beast Boy was nervous. He watched from the dance floor as a strange boy led Raven to the dance floor. Why did he care? He was with Terra anyway. But there was something weird about this guy...

_'Cause every time we touch,_

_I feel the static,_

_And every time we kiss,_

"I don't know," Raven said even as Sebastian pulled her towards the floor, "I normally don't dance with guys I don't know."

He laughed, "Don't be silly. Let yourself have some fun."

_I reach for the sky,_

_Can't you hear my heart beat so,_

_I can't let you go,_

"Beast Boy?" Terra asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, tearing his attention away from the others, "yeah. Of course."

_Want you in my life._

_'Cause every time we touch,_

_I get this feeling_

"Beast Boy," she moved closer to him, "I...I just want you to be okay..."

"I'm fine," he said. As happy as he was because she was this close to him, someone else was proving to be quite a distraction.

_And every time we kiss,_

_I swear I can fly,_

"Come on!" Sebastian practically yelled, "you shouldn't even have to think about it!"

"What?" Raven asked, wondering why he looked so mad all of a sudden.

"It's not like that Beast Boy cares about you!"

_Can't you feel my heart beat fast,_

_I want this to last,_

Terra moved closer to him still. "I missed you..." she whispered. Her eyes closed as she leaned in. For a moment he was startled by her lips touching his. Then he closed his eyes and tried to drown out the thoughts running through his head.

_Need you by my side_

Raven supressed a gasp as she struggled to contain her pain. This random guy was right. Beast Boy loved Terra. He always had. She could plainly see that as the two kissed. "Raven," the boy cut into her thoughts, "Why do you care about him?"

"He's my friend," she said, "just my friend."

"Don't try to lie to me," he said, angrily, "I saw the way you were looking at him."

Raven scowled, "So you were watching me?"

He laughed, "If only you knew. Come on, I'll show you a really good time." He grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her away from the dance floor. She tried to use her powers to push him away, but they wouldn't work. Her emotions were just too raw. She blindly followed where Sebastian led her. When he stopped she was thoroughly lost.

"Wait," she said, coming to herself, "Where are you taking me?" A hint of panic grew in her voice. Her powers still weren't working, and she knew that physically, she was no match for him.

He looked at her oddly, "Sweet Raven, can't you tell? You and I. We're soul mates."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beast Boy slowly pulled away from Terra. She looked down, a little shy. She laughed a little, "You know," she said, "that was my first kiss."

"Mine too," Beast Boy smiled. His eyes darted to where Raven had been. She was gone. It didn't matter. He had Terra.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What are you talking about?" Raven said. She turned around. They were in a field. She had no idea how to get back to the party.

"Don't you recognize me?" he stepped closer to her. He put his hand up and stroked her cheek. "'He claims the daughter of them, as his own true love.'"

She froze. Her eyes widened as she stared into his unblinking gaze. She hit his hand away from her. "Don't touch me," she said.

"Raven," he smiled at her, "It is written. We were made for each other."

"I don't even know you."

"Not yet," he beamed at her.

"No," she said, "if it's true than you must be..."

"The 'Brother of Blood'? Yep. That's me." He kept smiling.

"But...we beat Brother Blood," she couldn't understand this, "I..."

"That idiot?" he laughed, "he was just a poser." He stepped up to her, "I'm sure you'll understand..." he trailed off as he leaned in.

"Get away from me!" Raven yelled. Her powers weren't working, but now she had the impression that it was his fault.

With lightning speed he grabbed her shoulders and pressed his lips against hers. She turned her head away and tried to get out of his grip. He whispered into her ear, "You must realize Raven, there is no one here, and nowhere for you to go," he paused, "It's just you and me." He laughed and released her.

She clenched her fists. "Stay away from me."

"Sweetling," he said in a kind voice, "Nothing could keep me away." He took her face in his hands and just stood there for a moment. "You're helpless," he said, "like a little kitten." This time he moved in slowly, savoring the moment. Raven couldn't move. One name just kept repeating in her mind.

"Beast Boy..." she whispered. As soon as the sound escaped her lips, he hit her. Hard.

"Don't talk about him!" he yelled. "You don't care about him. You care about me. You just need to realized it."

The pain brought her back to herself. "No," she said, "you're just a sick freak."

"Shut up!" he screamed at her. He slapped her across her face, cutting her with his long fingernails. "I have power that you could only dream of." As he said this, black demons took shape out of the night. Their claws and fangs glowed in the moonlight. "Now," he said, "Just relax..." His lips touched hers, and slowly he deepened the kiss.

A mind blowing pain erupted, and before he knew it, he was on the ground. He doubled up and looked at her. "I told you not to touch me. I may not have the use of my powers, but I know how to hurt a guy." Raven said coldly. She turned and started to walk away.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said, rising to his feet. "Don't walk away from me. RAVEN!" he screamed out. "We are _destined_ to be together. Don't try to hide it. You like kissing me."

"You are a sick freak," Raven said and kept walking. She needed to get away. She was terrified, but she knew she couldn't show him that.

"AHHH!" She heard him scream out. She spun around. The demons were after her, claws beared. "You will love me Raven," Sebastian said, walking between the demons, "We just need to...get to know each other." He laughed. He kissed her again, quickly, and pushed her away. "Go," he whispered.

The demons lunged at her, slashing and biting at her. Her scream tore through the night, as they tore into her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beast Boy was sitting at the snack bar, resting. He hadn't seen Raven in a long time. He scanned the crowd for her. She wasn't the type to leave with a stranger. Terra was over talking to her friends from her school. Where was Raven? He sighed. Why did he keep thinking about her? He and Terra had just had their first kiss, yet he kept thinking about Raven.

He looked around again. It was getting late. They'd be leaving soon. He should probably go find Raven. He turned into a dog and tried to find her scent. As he ran through people's legs, his animal ears detected a scream. He had heard that before. Raven was in trouble. He jumped into the air and turned into a bat.

He sent out sonic waves, but he couldn't find her anywhere. He flew down to the ground, changed back to human form, and went to get Robin. He found him dancing with Starfire. "Robin!" he yelled, "Have you seen Raven?"

"No," Robin said, "is something wrong?"

"I don't know," Beast Boy said, "I'm going to go look for her."

He turned and ran from the party. He didn't see Terra, and for some reason, he was glad. "Raven!" he called out, not really expecting an answer. "Raven!" He turned into a bat again. He would try one more time to find her. He sent out his sonic waves. There, he felt her. Behind the DJ's stage.

He turned into a hawk and flew there as fast as he could. He saw her sitting there, in the dark. He lunged to the ground and turned human. "Raven?" he said almost frantically, "I thought I heard you scream."

"Beast Boy..." she looked up at him. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. Beast Boy's eyes widened as he took in her apperance. Her clothes were torn, and she was bleeding badly. He could tell she was healing herself, but she was in pain.

"Raven," he dropped down next to her, "What happend?" She shook her head. She wouldn't tell him. "Did that guy," he saw Raven shudder, "did he...rape you?" Raven shook her head hard. He knew she wasn't lying. "He just hurt you?" She nodded.

Her voice when it came, was raw, "Go away, Beast Boy." He was taken aback by her statement. "Stop pretending like you care."

"Ladies and gentalmen!" the DJ's voice boomed behind them, "I just got a special request. So here it it, hope you like it.

_I feel it everyday it's all the same_

It brings me down but I'm the one to blame

"Raven," Beast Boy said, "What are you talking about?"

_I've tried everything to get away  
_

_So here I go again_

"Terra was always so important to you," Raven whispered, "Stop pretending."

"Raven," Beast Boy didn't know how to explain his feelings, he wasn't even sure how he felt.

_Chasing you down again  
_

_Why do I do this?_

"Just leave me alone Beast Boy," her voice was cold.

"Not when you're so hurt," he closed his eyes, "I...I really care about you Raven."

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_I fall for you_

"Don't lie," she said, that boys words had cut her. He had said Beast Boy didn't care. He was right. "I saw...you and her,"

"Raven," how could he explain this? He didn't even understand it. He sat next to her and pulled her close to him. "I'm not lying."

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_I try not to_

She jumped up. "Don't touch me," she said. Her shoulders shook as the tears spilled over. "Sometimes," she whispered, "I wish I wasn't so alone."

_It feels like everyday stays the same  
_

_It's dragging me down and I can't pull away_

"You aren't alone," he said stepping up behind her, "I'm here. You don't have to be alone."

_So here I go again  
_

_Chasing you down again_

"No. You have Terra," her tears stung as they ran over the cuts on her cheek. "Why would you care about someone like me?"

_Why do I do this? _

Beast Boy just stood there. He did have Terra. But somehow, it just wasn't important to him anymore.

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_I fall for you_

"Raven," he walked over to her and brushed her tears away with his thumb. "This isn't about Terra, it's about you."

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_I try not to_

Raven wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. She had seen them kiss. Beast Boy didn't care.

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_You make me fall for you_

Beast Boy thought, _I'm going to have to tell Terra I don't feel that way about her anymore._ The thought suprised him. It wasn't until that moment that he accepted what he had been feeling lately. He looked back at Raven. It was obvious she was trying to stop crying, but wether it was from her injuries, or how she got them, or him; he wasn't sure.

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_You don't even try_

He moved forward slowly. He raised his arms up, and envelloped her in a hug. He felt her grow stiff. What had that guy done to her? He closed his eyes, and realized why he couldn't get her out of his head tonight.

_So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head  
_

_I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead_

"Raven," he whispered into her ear, "I made a mistake. I shouldn't have kissed Terra. I don't care about her anymore. Not like I care about you."

"Then why did you?" Raven said back.

"I didn't know. Haven't you ever been confused by your emotions before?"

_I know what's best for me  
_

She shouldn't be doing this. She wasn't being herself. But Beast Boy was so warm, and after what happend, Raven didn't want to leave his embrace.

_But I want you instead_

"Are you oaky, Raven?" he said, still holding on to her. He could already see some of her wounds fading away. He felt her relax into his arms. She put her head on his shoulder and cried. He held her tight, telling himself he wouldn't let this happen to her again.

_I'll keep on wasting all my time _

Slowly she sunk to the ground. He sat down beside her and held on. She leaned on him, and sat close, as if trying to hide from whatever hurt her. She didn't think he really cared, but that didn't matter. It just felt so good to have him there.

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_I fall for you_

"You'll be okay," Beast Boy said softly, "I'll protect you. I do care about you." She told herself she would never make him face that monster. She would be ready next time. He wouldn't get away. He had brought her here, and left her, bleeding. That's when Beast Boy found her. She closed her eyes. Maybe she could believe him. Maybe she could accept the fact that she really did care about him.

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_I try not to_

She wasn't going to pretend anymore. She couldn't. She wanted him to care about her. She needed him to keep her strong. "Beast Boy," she whispered.

_Over and over, over and over  
_

_You make me fall for you_

"Yeah?" he whispered back. His heart was beating madly, out of anger at whoever hurt her, and becuase he was so close to her. He really did care about her. Terra was like the sun, but Raven was like the moon. She was so beautiful, so strong, so brave.  
_Over and over, over and over  
_

_You don't even try to_

"I..." Raven whispered, not used to talking about things like this. "I feel the same way."

Beast Boy, if it was possible, tried to hold her even closer. They sat there, the full moon looking down on them, trying to forget everything else. Drowning in the moment. But unfortunatly, the stars weren't the only other thing to see them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow. That was SO much fun to write. I stayed up till midnight doing it. :) I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Where's Beast Boy?" Terra said out loud as she wandered through the crowd. Everone was leaving and there was still no sign of Beast Boy. She was a little disappointed. Beast Boy had left almost right after their kiss. Where had he gone?

She turned around and saw him. She froze. Jealosy and anger rose up indside her. He was walking with his arm around Raven's shoulders. _Raven's_. He should be with her. Something must be wrong. He would never...would he? She took a deep breath and walked over to them. "Hi, Beast Boy," she said. As soon as she said this, it looked like someone dumped water on Raven. Her eyes got a little wide, and she moved away from him.

"Hey, Terra," Beast Boy started, he closed his eyes, "We have to talk."

_Oh no_, she thought. Beast Boy wouldn't do this. Not to her. He had always been there. He...no. She shook her head. At that moment, Robin called in on their communicators. "Titans," he said, "we're heading back. Meet us at the car." Without another word, she turned and walked to the car. Beast Boy started to follow, but he noticed that Raven wasn't coming.

"I'll just teleport," she said as he looked back at her.

"No," he said, "Not after you got hurt so much. I'll fly you home."

"Terra..." she said, watching her receding figure.

"It's okay," he assured her, "I'll talk to her." He held out his hand. Hesitating, she placed hers in his and smiled. He turned into a large bird and waited for her to sit down.

She called Robin and told him they weren't going in the car. She could hear a little confusion in his voice, but she didn't want to explain. She climbed onto Beast Boy's back, and was once again awed by the softness of his feathers. She was tired, so she lay down and buried her head into his down feathers.

She looked up from where she lay at the millions of stars in the sky. It seemed like she could just soak up the moonlight. She was so happy. She wanted to be here forever. No Terra, no Sebastian; just her and Beast Boy and the moon. The wind blew by, cool and refreshing on her skin.

She shivered a little and wrapped her arms around his neck. She thought she felt a slight tremer in him as she lay her head against him.She was afraid of what would happen later, but she didn't want to think about it. This moment felt perfect. Or at least as close as she would ever get. She tried to push the doubts from her mind, but she couldn't help but think if Beast Boy really cared. He said he had, and she knew he wouldn't lie to her. But, it was hard to believe. She'd always felt a little alone, it was strange, opening up to this new emotion.

They were coming close to the Tower, but she didn't want the moment to end. She knew her friends would be accepting, but Terra...she didn't want to know how she would react. She had seen her kiss him, but apperantly, he hadn't really wanted to. Her thoughts drifted to earlier. Did he want to kiss her? Her pulse began to race as she tried not to think about it. Sebastian had kissed her. She shuddered. After he let those monsters almost kill her, she was incredably frightened by him. But she had to face him. He could come back tonight.

There were some thing's she didn't understand, though. She would have to somehow trick him the next time she saw him. She needed to know why he had done that. As her thoughts drifted, she noticed Beast Boy had landed on the roof. She didn't want to move. She began to get off, but before she did, Beast Boy changed back and stood up. He laughed as she grabbed his neck tighter when it shrunk to normal size.

"You know," he laughed, "you don't have to strangle me."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "it suprised me when you transformed so fast."

"It's okay," he said as she disentagled her arms, "I probably should have waited."

She smiled at him, "I was so comfortable, if you hadn't I might not have moved."

He blushed a little, and smiled at her. She blushed in return and walked over to the door to the stairwell. He followed her, his thoughts flying. When she had put her arms around his neck he had shivered. As they walked down the stairs he thought about how he wanted to stay close to her. He had to talk to Terra, he couldn't pretend around her.

"I'm feeling tired," Raven said as they entered the hallway, "I think I'm just going to go to bed." Even if Sebastian came back, she could fight him. She wouldn't let him hurt her. Just knowing that Beast Boy cared gave her a boldness she didn't know she had.

He smiled, and walked with her to her door. As she turned to go in he took her hand. "Raven..." he said, unsure of what he was saying, but not wanting to say nothing. He looked into her eyes and was overcome by the beauty of them. They shone like the sky at twilight; mysterious and gleaming. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled her close and hugged her. She was somewhat suprised, but she returned the hug.

"Beast Boy?" she whispered. He thought for a moment that she would tell him to let go. Instead she only held him tighter; her midnight voice continued, "Thank you." Slowly she pulled away from him, gave him one last smile and retreated to her room.

He stood outside the door for a moment and whispered, "Good night, Raven." He didn't know if she heard him or not, but it didn't matter to him. He started to walk to the main room. He knew something bad would happen. He had to talk to Terra, but he didn't want to hurt her. She was still his friend.

Before he entered, he took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy, but he had to talk to her. He stepped into the room. Robin and Starfire were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie. Terra sat on a stool in the kitchen, not really paying attention to anything.

"Hey Robin," he said going over to them, "where's Cy?"

"Oh," Starfire answered for him, "He went to do the hanging out with Bumblebee."

"Oh..." he said, he knew he had to talk to Terra, but he was scared.

"Beast Boy?" Robin said, "What's wrong with Terra? She barely said anything on the way home."

"I don't know," Beast Boy lied, "I'd better go find out." He walked over to her and sat next to her. "Hey, Terra."

She turned to him, her eyes sad, "Beast Boy..." her voice trailed off. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him. "You...and Raven," she paused, "What...did..." It seemed like she couldn't understand it. Becuase she couldn't. He had always been there. For her.

"Terra," he didn't really know what to say, "I'm sorry. But..."

"You were my first kiss," she laughed, "Ironic isn't it? As soon as I realize just how much you mean to me, you realize how important someone else it to you."

"Terra," he tried to explain, "I didn't know. I don't want to hurt you."

She smiled a little, "After I hurt you so much?" In an instant her mood changed. She faced him, her eyes blazing, "You still care about me don't you? Not her? Please tell me I was just seeing things. That you were just being nice."

He was silent for a moment, "Terra," he said, "I..."

Before he could finish, she grabbed him in a hug. "Beast Boy, please," her voice was almost inaudable, "Tell me. Do you..." she breathed in deeply, "Do you still love me?"

His reply was cut off, when the tower alarm went off. "It's Control Freak," Robin said as he and Starfire ran into the kitchen. Before they got there, Terra let go and backed away. "Where's Raven? We don't have time to wait."

"She went to bed," Beast Boy said, trying not to look at Terra, "I'll get her, you guys go ahead."

"Alright," Robin said, as he, Starfire, and Terra went off to where Control Freak was robbing a T.V. station.

Beast Boy turned into a dog and ran to Raven's room. He knocked on her door, hard. "Raven? Raven we have to go! Control Freak's back!" When she didn't answer, he began to get worried. "Raven?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She heard him whisper, "Good Night, Raven." She leaned against the door and sighed. A smile spread across her face. She could feel Beast Boy's happiness, and it magnified her own. What a night. She stayed at the door until she was sure he had left. She walked over to her bed and glanced at the blood that had soaked into her carpet. For some reason, it didn't bother her that much tonight.

She went to her bed and snuggled into the blankets. She mulled over the event of the night, remembering his words. _"...I care about you."_ The thought of him pushed Sebastian out of her mind. Her thoughts drifted, and she was seconds from sleep.

"Raven." She shot up in bed as his voice burned through her. Sebastian stood over the blood in the carpet, his eyes gleaming. "You need to stay away from him." He walked over to her bed and glared at her.

"Keep away from me," she said as she stood up on her bed. She wasn't going to let him hurt her. Not this time. He glanced at her sidelong.

"You should have stayed away from him. I saw what you did," he walked over to the egde of the bed. "You shouldn't have lied."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"I heard what you said. You told him you cared about him," he smiled, "But you don't. You love me."

"You're insane," she spat at him.

He threw back his head and laughed. "You misunderstand," he smiled at her, "We are destined." She shook her head, and clenched her fists. "It is written. 'The blood of the eighth,' as in you father, Trigon, eighth demon of hell," he kept smiling at her, "'the blood of the messanger,'" he paused, "You probably didn't know, but when your mother went to Azarath, they named her Arella. To them it meant messanger angel. 'mixed shall call the Brother of Blood,' that's me." His smile widened, "'...he shall claim her as his one true love."

Raven gasped, it all made sense. "Oh, Azar..." she whispered. That's why he had followed her. "Why...why did I cough up blood?"

"I guess you just weren't used to my powers being so near," he answered, "They are quite potent."

"That can't be all," Raven said. She was stronger than that. She would have sensed it.

"I did have to send a demon or two," he shrugged, "but that didn't hurt you, did it?" He smiled wide, so she could see ravor sharp fangs in his teeth.

"Get out of here," she said, taking a step towards him. She was still on the bed, and she felt it gave her an advantage. He swung his arm out and hit her legs. She fell, and in an instant, she was pinned to her bed, on her stomach.

"Don't try to resist," he hissed into her ear. He was pushing her head down, and half sitting on top of her so she couldn't get up. "I don't want to do this."

As he said this, a sharp pain rose inside of her. "Oh, Azar, help me," she gasped as blood began to seep up her throat. She felt a spasm rising within her and tried to quell it. She kept her body tense, through the pain. She coughed, and blood spilled out onto her bed. It trickled down her face, warm and sticky. Her body started to shake from the tension of hiding her pain.

"The dreams I sent," he said, not paying attention to the bloody mess that her face was becoming, "were your mother. When she got pregnant with you." Raven tried to suppress another cough, but it came out anyway. Along with more pain, more blood. The pain in her stomach was awful, like a thousand arrows were continually plunged into it. It didn't help that he was sitting on her.

She couldn't stand it. Blood was getting all over her face and neck. The pain was unbearable. But she couldn't let him beat her. Not when she had Beast Boy. As if Sebastian had heard her thoughts, he shoved her had onto the bed. When she coughed, it was like a knife being drawn up her throat. She couldn't give up. But she couldn't take this pain...

In the next moment she blacked out. She woke up to a pounding on her door. "Oh no," she looked up and Sebastian was still there, just staring at her.

He got close to her face, and whispered, "Don't say a word." He showed his fangs, "Or I'll go after him." Her eyes widened in horror. No. Not Beast Boy.

"Raven! Raven we have to go! Control Freak's back!" She tried as hard as she could not to breath. He couldn't know any of this. She had to keep him safe. "Raven?" She could hear the worry in his voice, but she couldn't do anyhthing about it. Sebastian just sat there staring at her.

One thought kept repeating itself in her mind. He had to leave, she had to keep him safe. She couldn't let this freak hurt him. "Raven!" he kept pounding on the door. "Are you alright?"

"This kid's too much trouble," Sebastian said, "I'll be back later to take care of him," he grinned, "and to take you to your new home. I have to get it ready first." She suddered, and he was gone.

She tried to sit up. She tried to move. The most she could do was to raise herself up. She half fell of the bed, and tried to get to the door. Before she could she collapsed on the floor.

"Raven!" Beast Boy was yelling now, "I'm coming in!" A large green dinosour crashed through her door. He turned back into a human and veiwed the terrible scene before his eyes. It was dark, with only moonlight illuminating the room. The bed looked wet, like something had spilled on it. There were dark stains on the floor. He gasped when he saw Raven's bloody figure laying on the floor.

"Raven," the word came as a strangled gasp. He ran to her and kneeled on the ground next to her. He picked her up and was startled at how much blood was caked on her face. "Raven," he whispered, "what happened?" When she didn't answer, he began to panic. "Wake up," he said, "Come on, you have to wake up." He picked her up and turned his back on the horrible picture of her bed. He went as fast as he could, while trying not to shake her too much, to his room. He layed her down on his lower bunk bed, and ran to his bathroom.

He grabbed a small towel and hastily got it wet in the sink. He ran back out and sat next to her on the bed. "How could I let this happen to you?" he said, as he began to wash her face. "What happened?" She was still in her torn clothes that she had worn to the party. Twice he had let her get hurt tonight, and he didn't even know how. He finished wiping the blood off her face, and dropped the bloody towel on the floor.

He lay down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. "Raven, how could I let this happen?" He blamed himself, even if there was nothing he could have done. When she woke up he would ask her. He would make sur e she told him. He had to be able to keep her safe. With her in his arms, he fell asleep.

Raven was slowly coming back to her senses. She could feel cold water, running down her face. After a few seconds, she felt a warmth next to her, and arms envelloping her. She slowly opened her eyes. She almost jerked back, but she was much to tired. Beast Boy's face was inches from her own. His eyes were closed, as if he was asleep. She smiled, that was Beast Boy. She wans't really sure where she was, but she assumed she was in his room. She closed her eyes, and inched closer to him. Her heart beat fast, from being close to him.

She tucked her head under his chin, and in a second she was asleep. Beast Boy smiled a little. He had woken up when she got closer to him. With two thoughts flying throught his mind, keeping her safe, and her sleeping next to him, he drifted into sleep.

End of Chapter

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you liked it:)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! (I realized I couldn't list all of them) You guys are awsome!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ravens eyes shot open when she heard the knocking on the door. It took her a moment to realize that Beast Boy was sleeping mere inches away from her face. Before she had time to blush, or acknowledge the pounding of her heart, the knocking stopped, and a familiar voice said, "Beast Boy?" Slowly, his eyes opened, as Raven recognized Terra's voice. "Beast Boy?" Raven jumped up, causing Beast Boy to fall off the bed.

"What?" he mumbled, trying to figure out what was going on. Raven made a silencing motion, and frantically looked for a place to hide. None of the Titans could know what happened last night. She was worried enough about Brother Blood finding out about it.

She mouthed, "Terra," and watched his eyes widen. He knew what the others would think. They hadn't shown up for the battle, and if they found the two in Beast Boy's room...They hadn't slept together. Just in the same bed. But no one else had to know about it.

Raven gave him a look that told him she didn't want to leave, as she melted into the floor, and out of sight. He didn't want her to leave either; he still needed to know what happened to her. But for now, he needed to talk to Terra. He slowly walked to the door, trying to think of something to say. Before he opened the door, he took a deep breath. He was going to need it.

When he opened the door, he was amazed at the look in her eyes. She wasn't mad, she looked...happy. "You'll never believe what happened!" she beamed at him, "Control Freak sent us into a computer, and there was this blue guy named Bob, and he liked this girl named Dot. Anyway, we had to beat some user guy before we could get out," she laughed, "It was so fun, you should have been there!" She paused, and looked at him hard. "Why weren't you there?"

"I..." he had no idea what to say. He couldn't tell anyone about what happened, and he had no idea what Raven was going to say. "Well..." his stomach was sinking farther every second. There was no way to get out of this one.

"It was my fault," Raven seemed to appear out of nowhere. She was wearing her normal uniform, with no blood stains on it at all.

"Excuse me?" Terra said, politely. She was so nervous about what she thought she saw at the party. She just wanted to run. To pretend everything was the same, and no one had changed.

"I didn't feel well," Raven said, staring straight at Terra, "and I made Beast Boy stay here with me. Everyone else was gone." Her eyes were hard as she looked at Terra, as if daring her to say anything about it. Her expression was cold, her eyes shone like dark crystals.

Terra didn't want to admit it, but she was intimidated. The empath just stood there, no emotion registering on her face. She couldn't be lying, but why had she made Beast Boy stay? Something was going on, and she didn't like it.

"Friends!" Starfire exclaimed, flying towards them from the hallway, "are you all right?" Her eyes shone with worry. She didn't know what she would do if something happened to them.

"We're fine," Raven said, smiling at her friend. _No_, she thought, _she is more of...a sister_. She always cared so much.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said with an unsure look on his face, "don't worry." She smiled her relief and delicately descended from the air.

"I am glad you are well," she beamed, "I was so worried when you did not come."

"You don't need to worry about us," Beast Boy grinned, "we were fine." Even as he said this, the questions tugged on his mind. Why was Raven like that? What had hurt her so much? Obviously she didn't want anyone to know about it, but why? He needed to talk to her. Soon.

Starfire was oblivious to his thoughts, "Let us go tell Robin and Cyborg that you are fine. They will be most pleased." She sprang back up into the air and began flying off to where the others were. With a backward glance, Terra followed her, running down the hall.

"Raven," Beast Boy turned to her, his voice serious. "We need to talk."

She looked down, "I guess so." He took her hand in his and, making sure that Starfire and Terra were well away, led her back into his room. Her hand was so cold, and small. It felt frail and delicate, as if reacting to how she felt. His heart did not dance, as he held her hand in his. All of his conscious was filled with concern for what had happened to her. He did not have time for those feelings right now. He had to make sure she was okay.

As soon as the door slid shut, he faced her, and tried to form a question. His mind wouldn't respond. His reality turned into her, standing there, looking so scared, and alone. Her eyes downcast, as if nothing could ever get better. A lock of hair fell in front of her violet eyes, as she tried to ignore his eyes burning into her. He needed to know what happened. Raven was never like this. "Raven," he choked out the word.

She closed her eyes, as if she wanted to shut it all out. Without realizing what he was doing, he moved towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have to tell me what happened." She shook her head silently, still staring at the ground. "No," Beast Boy slowly lifted her chin with his free hand. "I found you lying on your floor, covered in blood. That's the second time I saw you like that." He paused, remembering the panic that he had felt. The helplessness. "You have to tell me what happened. You have to let me help you."

"I don't need help," she said, avoiding eye contact. She was a titan. She was Raven. She could deal with this herself. She couldn't drag Beast Boy into this. But then...what if she already did? She had slept next to Beast Boy, and he had seen her like that. If Brother Blood was going to come after him, she might as well warn him.

"I don't care if you need it or not," Beast Boy said resolutely, "I'm not going to let anything like that happen again."

Raven sighed, and began to drown the sadness that was growing inside of her. She had tried so hard to keep Beast Boy out of this. Why was she always hurting her friends? She looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. She fought down the urge to cry, when she saw the look in his eyes. What had she done to deserve him caring so much about her? "Are you sure you want to know?" she asked, trying to find a new excuse not to tell him.

"Positive," he replied, a kind smile on his face. Raven took a deep breath, and led him to his bed. She would have to be sitting down for this. He gently sat down next to her, as if he thought that if he made any sudden movements, she would change her mind.

A new thought came to her, "What will the others think, when we aren't with Starfire and Terra? They thought we were following them."

"They can think whatever they want," he said, while he moved back to lean against the wall, "This is a lot more important."

"It began with a prophesy, made long ago," she began wearily, wondering just how long this would take.

She was interrupted by a laugh from Beast Boy. When she turned to stare at him, he sobered and said, "Sorry, it just seems like there are a lot of prophesies about you."

With a wry smile, she continued, "It was of the dauther of Trigon, and 'the messanger'," she paued and gave him a knowing look, "That would be me," she said, before he could ask about it. "I was destined to love Brother Blood. But not the one we fought before. He invaded my dreams, and sent me visions of when I was created. Every time, he would," she stopped. She didn't want to admit that he had hurt her. But she had to tell Beast Boy. She closed her eyes and continued, "He would make me cough up blood. Tonight, he came to me twice. He let his demons attack me, and he did too." She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to hide from the memories. "You must have found me afterwords. The next thing I knew, I woke up next to you."

"Is that all of it?" Beast Boy asked. He wanted to make sure he knew everything. While Raven had talked, a feeling of rage had built up within him. How dare someone do that to her? How could someone hurt her so much?

"Basically," she said, not wanting to tell the last part. She bit her lip. She had to tell him. If Sebastian hurt him because of her, she would never forgive herself. "He said...I think now he will come after you," she whispered, trying to hide the fact from her mind. "He thinks I love you, and that I should only love him. He could hurt you now, becuase I've told you this." She waited for what seemed like an eternity before Beast Boy said anything.

"I'll keep you safe from this creep," he said, moving over to put his arm around her.

She stood up instantly, and clenched her fists. "No," she said, "I should be protecting you. All of you have been so kind to me, and all I've done is brought trouble."

"That's not true," he said, standing up next to her. He had no idea how he could tell her how much she had come to mean to him. He wasn't sure how to say it, but he knew he had to. "Raven," he searched his mind, trying to find the words, "what if I want to protect you? If something happens to you, and I know I could have stopped it somehow," he shook his head, "I don't know what I'd do. You have to believe me, Raven. I care about you so much..." he trailed off. He had never been good with talking about this kind of thing. He closed his eyes and wondered what else he could say; what he could do, to make her see.

Slowly and deliberatly, she turned around, and stepped closer to him. She raised her hands, about to put them on his shoulders, but she hesitated. He opened his eyes, and took her hands where they dangled in mid-air. When he gazed into her eyes, he felt the same thing he used to feel for Terra, but this was different. It was stronger, bigger, and it seemed purer. "Raven...I," he said, trying to explain to her the feeling that was slowly taking him over.

She smiled at him, and he remembered that she was an empath. She could feel what he was feeling. He smiled back at her, and, hands still clasped in the air, he leaned towards her. His eyes shut, and he felt like he was in a dream. He knew he was in danger, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was to let Raven know how much he cared about her.

Raven was startled and scared. She had never felt this way before. Beast Boy was going to kiss her. _Her._ Not like how Sebastian had kissed her, out of lust and desire. She could feel his emotions radiating out of him. She didn't want to deny it anymore. She felt the same way. She closed her eyes, and memorized the moment, so it would be ingrained in her mind forever.

The moonlight shone in through the window; she had no idea what time it was, but she didn't care. She leaned forward, her soul soaring in happiness. She knew then that she would never give in to Sebastian. She would fight him to the end, and she would never let him hurt Beast Boy. Never.

"Oh, Rae, did you really think I would let you do this?" his voice was like a knife, cutting through her reality. Her eyes shot open to see him standing by the window, arms crossed, and teeth gleaming.

"Why are you here?" Beast Boy demanded, letting go of Raven and moving to stand between them. He was furious. This "Brother Blood", kept haunting Raven, and he wan't going to let him hurt her anymore.

"Now I think that's fairly obvious," Sebastian lauged, his pale hair shining, "I'm here for Raven."

"Stay away from her," Beast Boy snarled, begining to lose control of his temper.

"Raven and I were made for each other," he stated, matter of factly, "and there is nothing you can do to stop us from being together."

Beast Boy let out a growl, and raced toward him, turning into a wolf. He lunged and bit, but Sebastian kept evading his attacks. He transformed into a lion, and tried to rip him with his claws. Brother Blood sidestepped, making Beast Boy slash the walls. "Enough." The word was like poison, spreading throughout Beast Boy. He turned back into a human and was intantly on the ground with pain. It felt like his stomach was being ripped open. He coughed, and blood came.

"Stop!" Raven screamed, unable to use her powers, "Oh, Azar, stop this!" She ran over to where Beast Boy lay on the ground writhing in pain. "Don't hurt him!" With as much power as she could muster, she punched him hard. It took him by suprise, and he was thrown back.

"You idiot," he said calmly, "This will only make things worse for you."

"Raven..." Beast Boy tried to move, but he couldn't. All he could do was try not to faint. He couldn't. He had to help Raven.

Sebastian called a demon, and let it loose on Raven. It tore into her, cutting her skin, and biting her arms. She tried to fight it, but when she did, it faded away to a shadow, only to come back once more to attack her. Sebastians eyes glowed red as he watched the scene unfold. Within moments, Raven was unconcious, from the pain and loss of blood. He called the demon back, and picked up the bloody mess that was Raven.

He delived a hard kick to Beast Boy, to knock him out. He smiled, and jumped through the window. His demons lifted him up, and he sped off towards his home. "Oh, Raven," he said dreamily, "You'll love your new life."

Before he blacked out, Beast Boy was aware of shards of glass raining down of him, cutting him deeply. He barely felt the pain, though. His mind was numb with what had happened. It was so fast...He let her down. Brother Blood had taken her. Had hurt her. And it was his fault. His last concious thought, was of despair and rage. He was going to find her. He had to.

With the moonlight looking down at Beast Boy's motionless body, Brother Blood flew on, fully aware that there was almost nothing else left to stop him. His goal would soon be reached. His teeth glinted as he bent his head to taste her blood. It was sweet. It was pure. It was his. He smiled as he imagined what would happen when they reached his home. The bloody body in his arms, would finally submit to him, and be his wife.


	11. Chapter 11

Oh, with the whole Terra thing...let's just pretend she has her powers back okay? I don't wanna go near that labyrinth of confusing theories about her current situation.

Okay, well there's some cussing in this chapter, just so you know. Not much, though.

Oh, and sorry if the spelling is awful. My computer got messed up and spell check wasn't working.

* * *

Chapter 11 

He struggled to regain consciousness, his mind full of vague shadows. One word kept repeating itself frantically in his mind. It tormented him, and he didn't know why. Each time, he thought it with more panic, more anger...more fear. He didn't know why the word gave him such waves of hysteria; every time he tried to think about it, the reason would slip out of his mind. But it just kept coming back. His thoughts undulated, trying to understand.

_Raven._

Beast Boy started up from where he lay among the shattered fragments of glass. "Raven," he said, his eyes widening as he remembered what happened. "No!" he screamed, scrambling to his feet, and managing to get a thousand slivers of glass wedged in his skin. He hurtled to the window, almost throwing himself out. "Raven!" his shouts pierced through the silence of the night, sending a wave of birds soaring towards the heavens.

Beast Boy stared up at the sky, trying desperately not to break down. He had let that psycho get her. He had let him hurt her. How could he have done that? Everything seemed to happen so fast...and now he didn't even know where she was. He didn't want to think about what that creep could be doing to her. He had to find her soon. Just thinking of that guy with her set his blood on fire. He needed help to find her.

A sharp pain startled him from his thoughts. The glass had cut into him, and he had begun to bleed on the carpet. He took a deep breath. Before he could find Raven, he had to change out of his bloody clothes. They had become useless, and torn. He quickly changed, ignoring the tiny shards of glass that were wedged in his skin. He could deal with that later. Right now, finding Raven was the only thing that mattered.

"Beast Boy!" Robin's voice spun him around. He faced the door in silence. "Beast Boy?" Robin hammered on the door, "We heard smashing, and a scream. What happened?" He said it with authority in his voice, knowing Beast Boy would tell him. But he couldn't. Raven had only told him. He couldn't betray her trust like that. Not after what had almost happened before Sebastian came. "Beast Boy?!" he could hear the worry in Robin's voice. He walked slowly to the door, not noticing the glass getting stuck in his shoes.

He opened the door without a word. His teammates stared at him in shock. "What happened?" Robin demanded, seeing the blood soak through Beast Boy's new uniform. He shook his head. He couldn't tell them. He needed their help, but he couldn't tell them why. "Where's Raven?" his voice was cold and hard as ice.

"I don't know," Beast Boy whispered. It felt like a knife jabbing into him. He let her down. He fought back the tears as he stared into his leader's eyes.

"What happened?" Robin demanded, the others standing behind him, gazing silently at Beast Boy.

"I--" he stopped when he heard the crack in his voice. He couldn't do this. They would all blame him. He would understand if they did.

"Beast Boy, please," Starfire said, her eyes shining with tears, "is Raven alright?"

He closed his eyes and looked away. He wanted to say she was safe, that she was fine, that he had protected her. "What did you do, man?" Cyborg yelled, "First you guys don't show up to help us, and now she's missing?" He gestured wide with his hands, "Where is she? What happened? Why won't you tell us?" He stared hard at Beast Boy. They were best friends, but Raven was his friend, too.

"You two were together most of the night," Robin said, getting close to Beast Boy's face, "You won't tell us what happened," he paused, "and there's blood on your uniform. If the beast in you came out again, just admit it. We can help you."

"I didn't hurt her!" Beast Boy screamed in his face. "I would never hurt Raven," he glanced down at his uniform where some of the glass had made him bleed. It wasn't much, but of course Robin would notice it.

Terra stared at him, trying to understand, and make sense of what she was seeing. "Why didn't you follow us earlier?" she asked, fighting to keep from yelling from frustration. She didn't know what the 'beast' was, but she was hurt that he and Raven seemed to be together so much.

He couldn't tell them about the blood. He couldn't tell them about Sebastian. "Step aside, Beast Boy," Robin said, and without hesitating pushed Beast Boy out of the way. His friends stood in the doorway, attempting to comprehend what they were seeing.

The window was smashed, and shards of glass were scattered over the floor. The carpet was stained with blood, and perhaps worst of all, near the window, large claw marks were visible. They were jagged, and deep, and the sight of them sent a chill through the group.

Starfire gasped, and hid her head on Robin's shoulder. Robin barely noticed; he was filled with a cold fury. "Beast Boy," he took a step towards him, "What. Did. You. Do." He said it as calmly as he could, barely restraining himself from shaking the other boy. "Last chance. You don't answer, and I'm assuming the worst."

"I didn't hurt her!" Beast Boy screamed in his face, "I would never hurt her!"

"Then who did?!" Robin had lost what fragile control he had, and was now taking it out on the changeling. "I won't let you harm anyone on this team. If you don't tell me who did this, I--"

"Shut up!" Beast Boy yelled, "Haven't we had this conversation before? Don't you believe me? I would never hurt her!"

"Please," Starfire intervened, a single tear falling down her cheek, "do not fight. We must find Raven."

"What happened?!" Robin ignored Starfire's plea, never breaking eye contact with Beast Boy. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" Beast Boy screamed and jumped into the air. He changed into a bird and darted through the window. He couldn't waste any more time. He had to find Raven before something really bad happened.

"Beast Boy!" Terra ran over to the window, and was about to follow him on a rock, when Robin placed a hand on her arm.

"Let him go," he stared off at Beast Boy, flying farther and farther away. "He could be dangerous. I know you've never seen him like this, but trust me, we have to find Raven before he does."

Terra stared up at the moon, and wondered just how much Beast Boy had changed when she had been gone.

* * *

Slowly she forced her eyes open. Where was she? It was dark. She could barely see anything. She squinted, and tried to see where she was. The room she was in was small, and square. The walls were cold and made of solid rocks. The darkness gave the rocks the smallest hint of blue. When she tried to move from where she was leaning against the wall, she was pulled back. She looked down at her wrists, where chains attached her to the wall. 

She cringed. It was stupid of her not to notice them in the first place. The metal was cold and hard against her skin. Raven leaned her head against the stone wall behind her, and tried to think. What had happened? Beast Boy. He was okay wasn't he? She was stupid for getting him messed up in this. She was trapped here. Her powers weren't working, and she could see no way out of her cage.

That's what it was. Sebastian was caging her in. If he had done something to Beast Boy...She shook her head. There was no use in thinking about that. There was nothing she could do now. She lowered herself to the ground, the chains keeping her hands at eye level. That last moment with Beast Boy. He had almost kissed her. That would keep her strong. She couldn't give up. She could get out of this. She had to.

She had to get out, and stop Sebastian before he got to Beast Boy. He would go after him eventually. She had to protect him. Even though she had failed miserably at it before, she had to. But, how?

Her stomach growled loudly in the confines of her cell. It felt like ages since she had eaten. She clenched her fists and tried to forget the dull ache of hunger that was begining to gnaw at her abdomen. She tried to ignore the panic, when she thought of how long she could be trapped here...or how easily someone could be forgotten, entombed in this seamless rock.

Almost the moment she thought it, a shadow disentagled itself from the darkness around her, it's features slowly becoming clear. "Hello, Raven," Sebastian purred, moving close to where she sat on her prison floor. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" she asked, ignoring his question.

He laughed a cruel laugh, "Raven, you're home. Well," he corrected himslef, "this is only part of your home. I can show you the rest after our wedding."

For a moment she had no idea what he was saying. "Wedding?" she stuttered, "What wedding?"

He bent down next to her, and put his face up to her's, "Our wedding," he smiled, his incisors flashing, "We are destined."

"No," she shook her head, "I would never marry a bastard like you." She emphisised the word, making her disdain for him quite clear. With that, she summoned what was left of her spirit, and spit, straight in his face.

He pulled back fast, and in an instant was towering above her. "It's that green boy, isn't it?" he mused, "Well, I'll just have to get rid of him."

"No!" she screamed, lunging at him, only to be pulled back by her chains. "Don't you hurt him," she whispered, trying to use at least a small portion of her powers. As hard as she tried, she couldn't. Something about him just messed up...everything.

He lauged devilishly, "Sweet Raven, you will love me. All those dreams, were sent from me. Didn't you get the message?" His voice softened, "Since your conception, you and I were destined to be together." He looked at her sidelong, "Do you love me? In reply, she threw her back against the wall, and kicked him with all the stregnth she had left. Her foot connected to his shin, sending him to the ground. "Alright," he smiled, getting up and dusting off the dirt from his clothes, "but just know this can all end, if you just love me."

He waved his hand, and the demons appeared at his side, bloodthirsty as ever. The swarmed around her, ready to rip and tear her vulnerable skin. As if an after thought, Sebastian strode forward, and crouched to where Raven was again sitting on the ground, trying not to sudder from the feel of the demon's caresses. He put his fingers to her chin, lifting her head up to face him. "My father," he began, "would only talk about my destiny. I had to marry you. Do you know why?" When she didn't reply, he went on, "When we are married, these 'demons' will be set free," he smiled dreamily, "They will destroy humantity, while we drink of their blood," again, his teeth flashed in the dim light, "I have come to love you, Raven. Now you must only love me. It is not so bad," he continued, slowly bringing his face closer to her's, "to be forced to follow such a destiny."

She tried to back up, to get away, but the demons held her, paralyzed, and frozen. His lips met her's, and as she screamed inwardly, her body could do nothing. His lips opened, and he bent her head back as he drank her in. His eyes were closed in his ecstacy, unconciously probing his tounge into her mouth. She wanted to wretch, wanted to bite off his tounge and shove it down his throat, but she was trapped.

His lips began to travle down her face, making a trail down to her neck. He poised her body, her head tilted upwards, her back arched, as if offering herself to him, and placed his mouth against the delicate flesh of her neck. She could feel his teeth, his tounge brushing against her throat. He pulled his lips back, revealing his fangs, and held them against her skin for what seemed like an eternity.

He tore away, without breaking her skin. "No," he chided himself, "we must save that for our wedding night." His face was flushed with his lust and desire for her. "That wasn't so bad was it?" he smiled at her. She wanted to vomit all over that repulsive face. "Do you love me?" he asked again.

She had to use all of her energy to force out the word, nevertheless, it came only as a whisper. "_No._"

He gave her one forlorn look, and disapeared back into the shadows. The demons came at her, ripping her skin to shreds, and making rivlets of blood pour from her body. She writhed in pain, trying in vain to evade the claws and fangs. The chains never let her get free. For an instant, they pulled away, only to come back, with a different tactic. Instead of going at her at once, they went one at a time, relishining the feeling of her blood running across their formless bodies.

She screamed out, as one raked it's claws across her back. She arched up, and threw her head back in agony. She could feel the blood, warm and sticky, streaming from her open wounds. It hurt so much; it felt as if her body was being reduced to a torn fragment of skin. The demons kept coming, they never stopped. This pain, she couldn't take it. She closed her eyes, and imagined she was back with Beast Boy, before Sebastian had come. As her blood flowed down, and soaked the ground below her, she let her mind drift to a different scene, under the moon and stars, with just her and Beast Boy. Holding onto that one idea, she was jerked back to the present, as the demons contiued to slash her body into a bloody mess.

Her lithe form wormed this way and that, trying anything to avoid the pain. She knew it was useless, but her instincs had taken over. A single tear slid down her cheek, mingling with blood as it slithered, unhindered, across her face. As it ran, it left a clear trail in it's wake, wiping away the stains of blood. In a few moments, it's effects had disappeared, new blood covered the trail, and Raven closed her eyes, accepting the unescapable pain.

* * *

How could they think that? Did they really blame him? The thoughts flew through Beast Boy's mind as he soared into the night sky. He had no idea where to find Raven, or where he was going. He flew, his mind a thousand miles away, frantically trying to make sense out of everything. 

His friends thought he was insane, and Raven was gone. Almost without thinking, he flew down from the sky and landed in a large field. He looked over his shoulder at the city. He hadn't even realized he had left it. How was he ever going to find Raven? She could be anywhere. "What am I doing?" he said outloud in frustration. He looked up at the moon, glowing silently in the sky. "Raven, where are you?" his voice cracked, and he had to struggle to keep the tears at bay. He let her down, and now he couldn't even find her.

He wanted to punch himself. He was wasting time just doing this. Swiftly, he transformed into a wolf, and put his nose into the air. He could find her scent. He had to.

_There._

He could smell it on the wind. The farmiliar odour of books, and scented candles. It was Raven. He charged off in the direction it came from, heedless of his thoughts, which told him that there was no way he could be smelling her. He dashed off into the darkness, comforted by the fact that he was doing something to help Raven. That sooner or later, he would find her, and get her away from Sebastian.

His trail led him far away from the tower, farther than he had thought it would. He was so focused on Raven's scent, that he hardly noticed his surroundings. With a shock he realized he was in the valley where he had first met Terra. The normally bright and dusty rocks looked cold and dark in the moonlight, as if they were reminding him of all the awful things that could be happening to Raven. He shook off the thought, and remembered that first day Terra had come. He had been so happy to meet someone like her; so bright, so happy. He would never have thought that one day he would be running to save Raven, who he had come to care for so much more than he ever had for Terra.

She was always around when he needed someone; even if she did tend to isolate herself. All that did was tantilize his mind, and make him want to know her more. Again, he pictured her as the moon, calmly glowing in her beauty, silent in her suffering. His feet sent up clouds of dust as he raced along the valley floor. He tried not to pay attention to the dust and rocks that were accumulating in his paws as he ran. None of it mattered; not if Raven was in danger.

He had no idea what he was going to do when he found her, but he barely gave that a second thought. The sound of Raven's scream was played over and over in his mind; a haunting spector in his mind. He could not forget the blood on the floor. Her blood. The floor stained crimson with her pain. He put on a burst of speed, and quickly trasformed into a cheetah. Inwardly, he knew it was stupid, and that it would only waste his energy, but he couldn't stand it anymore. He needed to find her soon. Something inside of him was crying out in unfathomable rage.

He hoped that when he finally found her, he would be able to restrain himslef. The others thought the 'beast' in him was loose, they were wrong. If he found her hurt, though, he might just lose control. He was getting tired, he had been running as fast as he could. Thankfully, the valley was broadening, opening to the bay. He slowed as he reached the waves, and turned back into a human. He took a few steps into the frigid water, and simply stared across the seeming unendless water.

He couldn't smell it anymore. He had lost her. In frustration, he yelled up to the moon. An unhuman noise erupted from his throat as he cried out againt all of this.

He heard a rustling behind him, and spun around to face the one person he didn't want to see. Sebastian. "That's a great way to call attention to yourself," he smirked, slowly sauntering over to where Beast Boy stood frozen.

His eyes widened as he tried to control the anger inside of him. "What did you do to her?" he screamed, clenching his fists at his sides.

"I didn't do anything," Sebastian smiled cruelly, "She asked for all of it."

"Where is she?" Beast Boy demanded, taking a shuddering step towards him, "Tell me where she is!"

"Do you want to hear what I did to her?" he asked, with a silken voice.

"If you layed a finger on her," Beast Boy began, biting his lip hard. Before he could attack this guy, he needed to know where Raven was.

He through his head back and laughed, "Soon," he smiled, as if explaining something to a child, "Raven will belong to only me. Who are you to stop this?"

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy demanded, barely holding onto the emotions that were raging inside of him.

Sebastian took a step closer to him, "Would you like to know what I did to her?" he asked, ignoring Beast Boy's question. "Let me show you," he said, his eyes begining to glow a fierce red. Beast Boy tried to run at him, but he found he was trapped; held back by some sort of demon. He struggled in it's grip, but nothing he did could make it give way. "First," he laughed, "I did the same thing that I'm doing to you. I caught her so she couldn't move," he paused, "Like a bird trapped in a cage." He thought himself very clever for coming up with an analogy like this, and smiled brightly, his eyes still shining. "You know," he said, walking over to where Beast Boy was caught, "She really is a great kisser."

"Bastard!" Beast Boy screamed, losing the battle that had been going on inside of him. "What the hell did you do to her?" He fought with all his strength, trying to dislodge himslef from the wraith that held him. He transformed swiftly; from human to bird, to gorilla, to panther. Even as the tiniest fly he could not get loose. In less than a second, he was back as a human, still caught by the demon. "I'll fucking kill you!" he cried, slighty astonished at his word choice.

Sebastian just stood there, his eyes glowing, and his teeth shining. "You can't even touch me," Sebastian lauged, stepping within a foot of Beast Boy, who was still raging.

"You're fucking insane!" he yelled, still fighting against that which held him. Sebastian only threw his head back and laughed. He grinned evily, and bared his fangs, which glinted in the light from the moon.

"That wasn't a smart thing to say," he whispered, raising his hands up from his sides. He took Beast Boy's head in his hands, and brought it down hard against his knee. Beast Boy felt the pain, and his vision became blotchy, and dark. In less than a minute, he slumped, unconscious, in the demon's arms. He chuckled, and looked at the limp body. "That was easy," he smiled, "Raven will give him up before she knows what she's doing."

* * *

"Alright. team," Robin's voice rang out over the communicators, "We have got to find Beast Boy before he get's to Raven. We can't let him get close to her. We don't know what he could do." 

Flying far above the city, Starfire interjected, "Do you really think he would hurt her?"

"I don't think we should underestimate him," Cyborg cut in, driving along in the T-car, searching for any signs of his best friend.

Terra flew across the countryside, upon a large boulder, the wind blowing her hair behind her, "What happened to Beast boy?" She half hoped no one would reply, or even hear her. Her blue eyes had a worried expression as she glided along, trying in vain to find the boy that she thought she loved. He seemed so different now, did she even know him?

"It's a long story," Robin began, hesitantly.

"Well," Cyborg inturrupted, "this may take a while, so we might as well tell her."

"Fine," Robin sighed, "it all started with a fight with a crimal in a chemical lab.." As Robin told the story, Terra became more and more horrified. How could Beast Boy have turned into such an...animal?

* * *

Good Chapter eh? I liked writing it. I hope you guys liked reading it. It still bothers me that it's a little short, but I liked where this one left off. 

Thank you to everyone who reviewed--you are the best :)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah insert witty statement here

Sorry it's taken me forever to update. I know some of you didn't like the use of the "F word" last chapter, but I was trying to show how Beast Boy was pretty much losing it, and saying things he normally wouldn't say. Anyway, sorry again for the wait, and I hope you like it.

* * *

A Raven's Blood 

Chapter 12

Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open, and she gazed up silently at the figure that stood above her. "Morning, sweet," he said, his voice like honey, "Did you have a rough night?" His voice scraped against her mind, causing her to cringe. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" he purred, in a silky voice, "I want to show you something." He offered her his hand, smiling happily.

She looked up at him from where she lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. Bringing up some of the blood lodged in her throat, she spit it onto his hand, leaving a red stain on his pale skin. She closed her eyes, and was ready for a blow, but instead he burst out laughing. "Don't be like that," he chortled, "This is no day for silly fights." With that, he wiped off his hand, and picked her up bride-style, into his arms. "I got you a surprise," he carried her past the darkness of her prison, and she wondered vaguely how he managed to go through what had appeared to be solid rock.

She lay cold and stiff in his arms, dried blood covering her skin, and what remained of her clothes. She tried to see what was around them, but could only see darkness. It was as if he illuminated the area around them, and kept the rest dark to keep her relying on him. He carried her in silence, turning here, completely reversing his direction there, and making her think that he was taking her through a labyrinth that only he could see. She lost track of time as she stared into the darkness around her, and her mind was numbed by the repetitive motion of his walking.

Her vision blurred, and her mind wandered. She was startled awake from her stupor by a light that seemed bright to her, but was only cast shadows upon the large chamber. She couldn't tell where the light was coming from, but the entire room looked tinted in red. It was a cavern, the walls and floor made of rock. Huge outcroppings littered the chamber, and the eerie red light sent a shiver up her spine. "There now," Sebastian said, gently setting her on her feet, "You must stand by yourself now." She shied away from him, and began stumbling throughout the room. Her cuts from the previous night stung and burned where they were exposed to the dry air.

She heard his piercing laugh behind her, and spun around to see him smiling at her. "Don't get too excited," he told her, "I'll bring you to the surprise." He approached her with a broad smile on his face, and his hand outstretched, "I know you'll love it," he said taking a hold of her forearm. He led her through the room, striding ahead of her with an excited step. After a few feet, he became overwhelmed and spun around to face her. "Oh, Raven!" he wrapped his arms around her, paying no heed to how her body stiffened, and how she winced where he touched her cuts. "It's almost time," he whispered like a lover into her ear, his lips beginning a gentle caress on her flesh.

Her heart beat wildly with anger, and her mind began to wake up as the cold indignation set in. She had to get out of here. She needed a plan. She needed...her thoughts were pulled from her head, as Sebastian began to play with a stray lock of her hair. "Isn't it wonderful?" he asked, his face still close to hers. He bent forward, and gave her a lingering kiss on her mouth. She swallowed down the bile that had started to rise, and told herself to concentrate and think. "Raven," he said, loving how the word felt on his tongue, "Raven," he lifted her arm, which was marred with cuts and dried blood from his demons. "Soon, there will be no need for such things," he said, as he brought her bloody arm up to his face. He kept his eyes towards her, and bent his head down to delicately kiss one of her cuts that had barely begun to heal.

In the instant the dried blood touched his lips, he jerked up, and still holding tightly to her arm, once again began to lead her through the cavern. "We shouldn't waste time," he told her, as if she had wanted him to do that. He began to almost drag her across the room, taking her to a large stone well. Inside the well bubbled a sharply red substance that Raven tried hard not to think about. He pointed up, she followed his finger with her eyes, and her heart stopped inside of her. High up, tied with chains to two large rock outcroppings, dangling above the bubbling pit, hung Beast Boy.

"No," she whispered, looking at his unconscious form. She ripped her gaze away, and focused on Sebastian, "What did you do to him?" Her hands began to shake, and her breath came in shallow gasps.

"Don't you see?" he asked her, gesturing around him, "He never loved you. Not really. Not like I do." He turned her head to face Beast Boy's limp form, "He doesn't love you, and you don't love him. You just can't see it," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "You're blinded by what you think is right."

"What are you going to do to him?" she breathed, barely understanding what was going on.

"I'll do what I have to. If he's such a distraction, I think I have to kill him." The words, said so matter-of-factly, chilled her to the bone. She turned to face him.

"No matter what?" she didn't dare to hope; hardly dared her heart to beat.

"Of course," he smiled at her, kindly, as if explaining something to a child who was having a tantrum. He lightly stroked her cheek, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and they were meant to be like that.

"Why?" she felt the salty tears begin to gather in her eyes. She had gotten him into this, and now he would pay the price.

He laughed, "Because you think you love him." He wiped away a small tear that had been forming in the corner of her eye, "Don't cry now. It'll be fine. It'll be better. I _promise._" He gathered her into his arms, as if he would protect her from the world. She didn't bother to fight back; what could she do? Two warm tears slithered their way down her cheek, forging a path across her skin. If a thousand tears could save him, she would cry them freely. She felt Sebastian's breath on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. A warm sensation ran from the side of her neck, calming and soothing her. It was so warm...so soft...Slowly her body relaxed, and she realized that she was crying into his shoulder. "There, there," he continued to soothe her. "You'll be happy. We can have a wonderful life together. We'll be away from the world, and it'll just be you and me."

She closed her eyes, and forgot everything. She cleared her mind of every memory; the sun fading on Beast Boy, as he sits with her at the coffee shop, the feel of his arms around her under the moon, waking up next to him, so close that they almost-- Squeezing her eyes shut, she pretended nothing had happened. She returned to that night, and saw him kissing Terra. Sebastian was right. All of this was meaningless. Beast Boy could never love a person like her, even if he said he did. Not when he had Terra.

"Get away from her!" Beast Boy screamed from where he was hanging, having come recently to consciousness. He swung back and forth above the bubbling red pit, trying to break free of his chains. He tried to transform into anything, but something was blocking his powers. It was as if a cloth had been shoved over him; he could barely think straight. The room he awoke to was bathed in a sick red light, from no source in particular. "Don't touch her!" he shouted, seeing that Sebastian with his arms around her. How dare he...Beast Boy was not about to let him get away with that. Raven was cut all over, her clothes torn and slightly revealing.

Barely releasing Raven, he laughed. "What are you screaming about now?" he chuckled. "Do you know?" he asked her, a sly smile on his face.

Silence crept in around them, and for an indefinable instant, time stood still. "I have no idea," the voice cracked through Beast Boy's reality, making him forget what little he knew.

"Raven!" he screamed, his voice cracking and dry, "What are you talking about?" He strained against his chains, pulling against their massive strength, but again, they didn't give in.

"Why did you take me here?" she asked Sebastian, "Just to see this…animal?" The word cut into him like a knife. Why was she acting like this? What happened to her? Raven's eyes were cold, and when they turned up to gaze at Beast Boy, they burned through him with a numb fire he had never before seen in her eyes. She turned away from him, back to that leach who was now grinning, his face stretched out with glee. "Can we leave?" her voice was impatient, as if this whole thing was just a waste of her time.

"Raven!" he called down, his stomach sinking further and further down, his pulse racing within him. "Raven!" he couldn't let her leave with him. This was wrong…he couldn't let this happen. She didn't pay attention to his desperate calls, but turned her back and began to walk away. "Raven! Don't go with him!" Beast Boy screamed, pulling his arms back and forth, vainly trying to get out of his shackles and save her. He was unheeding of the bubbling pit beneath him, and the sickly red glow that covered them all. The only thing he was aware of was her, as she began to slowly walk away. "Don't!" he squeezed his eyes shut; this had to be a dream.

"Why shouldn't I?" she looked back over her shoulder at his chained figure, "I love him." Those three words buried themselves deep inside him, digging into his mind. He gasped for breath that seemed to take years to go to his lungs. His mind refused to work, and his mouth could only form one word.

"Raven?" he whispered, afraid that if he talked too loud, he would use up what little air he had. "Raven…" he stared at her receding figure, unable to grasp the scene that was unfolding. That bloodsucker, Sebastian, walked up to her, and put his hands on her shoulders, whispering something to her. She gave the barest of nods, and Beast Boy tried not to vomit as he smashed his face against hers. An image flashed through his mind of the two of them, so close they could almost touch, yet never passing that final step. His heart dropped as he watched her kiss him back, eyes closed and expression unreadable. His breath came in ragged gasps, and the world began to spin. "Raven!" he called, wanting to run up and hit him, and shake her; anything to wake her up.

Sebastian broke the kiss, and turned his eyes on Beast Boy. "Don't talk to her," his voice was angry, but beneath it, was the sound of victory. He raised his hand, pointing at Beast Boy. Something slammed into him, rocking him back in his bindings. He looked up, and saw a black shadow hovering beside him, its eyes cold and lifeless. Its claws were a deep red, and looked to be stained with blood. Glancing back down at Raven's torn up figure, he wondered, _is that Raven's blood?_ All coherent thought was pushed from his mind, as the demon began to dig those claws into his flesh. "Raven!" as the pain ripped through him, all he could think of was her, leaving him here. A drop of blood splashed into his eye, and struggled, unable to wipe it away. His blood dripped down into the pit below him, mixing with the pond of what could only be blood.

Fighting the urge to go unconscious, he stared once more at Raven. She was so far away now, but from his vantage point, he could still see her. Most of her wounds had at least started to heal, but there was one mark that surprised him. On the back of her neck, there was a tiny trickle of blood, still slowly bleeding. As the demon came back, and his blood began to mingle with the blood below him, he downed in the pain, forgetting that a different reality existed besides the red prison he was trapped in.

* * *

"You really love me?" he asked her, waking her to what would now be her room. 

"Really," she smiled at him, the perfect submission, "I don't know what I was thinking before." He grinned and took her hand, happy as a child who had just gotten a new toy.

"I'll always be here for you," he said, the words caressing her soul. "It's a promise that I intend to keep." He brought her to her new room, and opened the door hesitantly, wanting her to like what was inside. It was a beautifully furnished room, complete with books, a desk and a huge feather bed. The walls were a mellow red, and the floor was carpeted with an off-white color.

"It's perfect," she said, walking over to the books. She scanned through the titles, ever aware of his gaze on her. _The History of the Church of Blood, Folklore of the Church, Myths of the Blood…_and so they went. "It's perfect," she repeated, spinning around to face him.

"I'm so glad you like it," he purred, almost too aware of the bed only paces away.

"Of course I like it," she said, staring deep into his eyes. "It's from you, isn't it?" with a small grin, she took his head in her hands. "I could never ask for more," she said softly, gently putting her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She ran her hands through his light hair, enfolding them around his neck.

"I'm glad you--"

"Shh…" she shushed him, a finger to his lips. "You don't have to say anything." She placed her mouth over his, and could almost hear his heart beat. They stayed there for what seemed like eternity, before she slowly pulled away, her eyes smiling.

He was unsettled, unused to such emotion. He glanced once over at the bed, blushed, and tugged at his collar. "I should leave you," he said, haltingly, "give you a chance to rest." She merely smiled at him, sensing his emotions. "I should go…" he said again, trying to tear himself from her embrace. "I can prepare for the wedding while you rest. I took the liberty of getting you a dress. It's in the closet." He didn't want to leave her, even if it was only for a few hours. He had dreamt so long of this moment, he had been told all his life that it was his destiny, and now it was finally here. Once they were married, he could do anything; their power together would be unstoppable.

"You're powers should be working," he said, almost shyly, "Just so you know…"

Her smile widened, "You are wonderful…husband." His heart quickened at the look in her eyes, and he felt he had to leave, to go prepare the wedding.

"Almost," he whispered to her, "almost." With a small kiss on her cheek, he went out, happy and unaware of the snare that had been pulled tight around him. She watched him leave, only dropping her smile after the door had closed. She shuddered, and looked to the closet. She had to do this…

* * *

In the dim of the dark corridor, a shadow slipped along, unnoticed and silent. There was nothing around anyway; everyone was busy preparing for the wedding. The figure always stayed close to the wall, and hand tracing its path. A dark robe billowed around it, making it almost impossible to be seen in the muted light. The figure hurried along, down passageway after passageway, always intent on its goal. 

When it reached the Room of Sacrifices, it paused, staring into the faded red light. A boy hung, bleeding, tied by chains above the Pool. The figure made its way through the room, always towards the Pool. Skirting large rocks jutting from the earth, it came to rest at the edge of the pool. "Beast Boy?" it whispered into the silence surrounding them. "Beast Boy? Come on, wake up," its voice was soothing and calm, a flower floating on still water.

The boy slowly raised his head, blood dripping from various wounds. He was hung high up, and the figure was too far away to reach him. As he came to his senses, he remembered what he had seen before he was knocked out. "Where's Raven?" he demanded, trying to sound threatening, even though he was tied up, and trapped. "If you did anything--"

"Would you be quiet?" the figure scolded, it's voice muffled by the hood it wore.

"No," he said, determined to do something, "Where's Raven?" He ignored his bleeding wounds, and just focused on finding Raven.

The person raised their hands, and ceremoniously removed their hood. Beast Boy gasped at who he was looking at. She pointed at his chains, and in a second they were disassembled before his eyes. She floated him down with her obsidian powers, setting him down next to her. "Raven," he gasped, unbelieving, "how?"

"I had to trick him," she said softly, "I'm sorry you had to see that." She was staring at the ground, refusing to look him in the face.

He could hardly believe his eyes; her cloak fell about her, hiding a white flowing dress. Her cuts had healed, and he had to admit, she looked beautiful. "Its fine," he said, not realizing he was speaking. "As long as you're safe. But I thought he had you under a spell or something. I think he bit your neck." The worry in his voice was almost palpable.

"As if he could ever control me," she smiled, "He may have tried, but no man could ever force me to do anything." He grinned, happy to see that she was back to herself, and his previous desperation was unfounded.

"Come here," she said, pulling him close to examine his wounds. "I got my powers back," she began to heal him even as she spoke. He watched in silence as his cuts were nit together, and the blood stopped coming out. It took a lot less time than he thought it would have, and when she was finished, she finally looked him in the eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, "All of this happened because of me." When he tried to interrupt, she just gave him a look that he couldn't fight. "I'm going to get you out of this. I promise." In the blink of an eye, she was in his arms, burrowing her head into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Raven," he said, "We can go now. Both of us. We're free." He took her hand, beginning to lead her out.

"No," she said, rooted in place. "I can't leave. You don't know what he'd do." She closed her eyes, and ignored the pain in her heart. "I have my powers back. I can fight him. You can't." She stared at him through lowered eyelids, "I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, voice sounding frantic. Someone would know that he was free. They would be coming soon for them. They needed to get out of here, now.

"I can't go," she said, eyes brimming with the tears that she could never shed, "Beast Boy," she squeezed his hand, the only lifeline that she had. "I…" she stared into his eyes, engraving his image into her mind. "I love you."

He smiled, at her, knowing the words were true as they escaped his mouth, "I love you too." He began to lead her away, knowing they had to get out fast. "Which way is the exit?"

The only reply he heard was a faint whisper from behind him, "I'm sorry." Why was she still apologizing?

"You don't have--" his words were cut short as a nearby rock flew into his head. It collided with the back of his skull, making him see black splotches everywhere he looked. As the world spun, he found himself on the ground, staring up at Raven kneeling over him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, as she used her powers to gently coax him into unconsciousness. She closed his eyes, and stared at him, wondering how anyone could look so comforting. She pictured the tower, and Beast Boy's smelly room. Summoning some of her newly returned powers, she enveloped him in the black glow, and her magic dissipated, nothing remained in the spot he had just been in, but a small pool of dried blood.

* * *

His eyes opened quickly, and he shot up in bed. Glancing around him, he confirmed that this was, in fact, his room. Had that all been a dream? He looked down at himself, and knew that it wasn't. His body was covered with scars and healed over cuts. He jumped off of his bed, and ran to the door. Out in the hall, he raced to the control room, hoping that anyone could be there; that they could help him find Raven, and save her. 

When he got there, he was surprised to see it empty, except for the blaring main screen. He remembered what had happened the last time he had been here, and realized why no one else was here. They all thought that he had hurt Raven. He went over to the screen, prepared to beg for their help, when a voice from far away cut him off.

"Where could he be?"

"We have to find him, and stop him."

"Why was he acting like that?" That was Terra's voice; the voice he used to dream about. He was so stupid. Why couldn't he have noticed that an angel had been in front of him all along?

He was about to call in, and tell them everything, even if it meant breaking a promise to Raven, but he heard something that convinced him that doing that would be the worst thing.

"He'll probably make up some story, but don't trust him, no matter what. We don't know what he could do when he's in that state." Robin's voice rang through him, turning his insides cold. He turned away from the screen, ran down to the bottom floor, and was quickly breathing in the fresh sea air. "Oh crap…" he said out loud, realizing that he had no idea where she was. "Crap, crap, crap," he repeated, not knowing what to do. He had to find her, and he had to do it fast. When Sebastian found him gone…he didn't want to think about what he would do.

He ran, and jumped into the air, turning into an eagle. At least his powers worked out here. He sped off into the night, desperate to find her, and thinking of how similar this was to what he had done earlier. In fact, it was almost the same. Except this time he wouldn't let that leech catch him, and he would find Raven before she got hurt. He had to. As he flew, he remembered the feeling of her riding on his back in the mid summer light, and whished with all his heart that he could go back in time and save her from this nightmare that she was trapped in.

* * *

In the red glow, Raven stood up, glancing around the room. Someone should be here soon, and she had no doubts to who it would be. She rubbed her arms, just waiting for him to appear. He would be mad…really mad. She paced throughout the chamber, mind racing. Beast Boy was safe, and there was no way that he could find her here if he tried to. She had to stop Sebastian, or else she was sure he would hunt him down again. 

Beast Boy had tried to keep her safe, now it was her turn to do the same for him. She scratched the back of her neck where Sebastian had bitten her. When she touched the small scabs, a shudder raced through her body. She was still vaguely sickened by what she had done, but she knew it had been the only way to make sure that he would give her powers back. She had had to seduce him…but even though it worked, that didn't mean that she had to be proud of it.

She wandered back to the pool of boiling blood, and as she stared into it, she thought she saw her own reflection. Her hair was a bit disheveled, and her clothes made an odd contrast. She had found the dark cloak out of luck, tucked into the closet. The dress…she didn't like it, but she had known that she had to wear it. It was white, as most wedding dresses are, and looked indistinctly like her normal outfit.

She spun at a noise behind her, her cloak flaring about her. There was the scuff of a foot against the stone floor, and her body tensed as the noise came closer. He emerged from behind a rock, hand trailing along its surface. He didn't look at her, didn't look anywhere. "What did you do?" he said calmly, surprising her with his tone. Silently, she stared at him; calling forth her powers for the fight she knew was coming.

"You really should not have done that," he looked up at her, his eyes burning crimson. "You stupid slut," he spat the words at her, "You stupid lying slut." He began to walk towards her, teeth shining in his mouth. "You lied to me," his breath was audible, "and you let him go. You let that filth go."

"He's not filth," she cut in, clenching her fists, and summoning every ounce of courage in her body. This was going to hurt.

"You are going to pay," he kept talking, "You ruined everything, did you know that?" He raised his hand, and slapped her hard across her face. She grabbed his hand, and twisted his wrist, hard. "You shouldn't do that," he warned, wrenching his arm back, and hitting her face backhanded. She tripped over the lip of the pool, and fell back into it's boiling liquids. "You stupid girl," he advanced towards her, hoards of demons appearing at his back. Yeah, this was going to hurt.

* * *

I hope you liked it, and the next update shouldn't take as long as this one did. 

:)


	13. Chapter 13

I am _so _sorry it took me this long to update. I was grounded for a very very long time by my father, and then our internet wasn't working. Thank you to every single one of you that reviewed, and a special thanks to WeLcOmE2pArAdIsE for motivating me and helping me push through my writer's block.

I hope this chapter makes the wait worth it, and once again, I apologize for how long it took to update. R n R pretty please )

* * *

A Raven's Blood

Chapter 13

She struggled to surface in the scarlet waters. They bubbled around her and scalded her delicate skin. Her arms flailed wildly in the thick liquid as she tried desperately to stay afloat in what she tried to tell herself wasn't blood. People's blood. Innocent Blood. Her head above the waves, she chocked down a rising nausea and tried to grasp the edge of the pit. Her fingers clasped the rocks that formed the rim, and she dragged herself up, red boiling water running down her body. She could feel some of it sticking to her skin as she held on to the edge, arms askew, breath ragged.

She could hear soft footsteps approaching the glistening crimson pool. Her legs began to twitch in the burning fluids, but she felt paralyzed by the prospect of getting out and facing the punishment she knew she would receive. Raven tried to harden her eyes, and quell the fear that had begun to rise in the pit of her stomach. "You little bitch," Sebastian hissed, placing one foot on the lip of the pool and staring down at her, demons writhing at his back.

He bent down so close that she could feel his pungent breath on her face. His eyes reflected the ruby glare of the waters that she couldn't tear herself from. She stared at his feet, unable to look into his eyes for more than a second. Her feet were sending torrents of pain through her body, but she just couldn't move even though her lower half was being blistered by liquids so hot she felt she was being cooked like the tea she loved so much.

"You know," she heard him cackle, still avoiding his gaze, "I don't need them." Instantly Raven felt a pressure lift off her shoulders, and her muscles seemed to remember how to move. Glancing up, she saw that all of his demons were gone, banished back to whatever Hell he had called them from. Her legs screamed from the burning sensation, and finally her body could react. With a strength she was surprised to find she forcibly pushed herself out of the water, head butting Sebastian in the process, whose head was still inches away from hers.

Falling over the edge of that cursed pool, she landed in a heap on the hard ground, robes stained scarlet and dripping from her time submerged, legs bunched towards her body, arms wrapped around her shoulders to steady her shaking breath. Her eyes moved up from her vulnerable position to see Sebastian, a hand on his head, staring intensely at her, mockery and rage burning bright in his eyes.

"I can handle you by myself," he grinned, flashing his hideous fangs and slowly moving towards her. She struggled to her feet, and could barely stand, weighted down by her drenched clothes. Stepping away from him, she reached to her back and tore off her cloak, hoping to free her movements. In the same motion, she stepped out of her shoes and shook her limbs out. It was time to fight. Nothing could get in her way if she hoped to win.

"Ooh," Sebastian licked his lips, "Taking it off already? I though you'd want to wait till after we married." His laugh filled the cavern as his eyes raked over her body, making her wish she had something to hide behind. She shivered as she watched something familiar come to his face. That old expression of the lust for her flesh.

"You sick bastard," she managed to spit out, taking another step back and relaxing her muscles. This fight would take everything she had. She couldn't waste energy being tense.

"You always had quite the mouth on you," he said, arms reaching out towards her. "So…fiery. Passionate." His smile continued to grow when he saw the look of revulsion on her face. Every word he said made her want to throw up, run away, then come back and kill him. But there was no escape for her now.

"Burn in Hell," she whispered, sending her dark powers to encompass a large rock behind him. She hoped beyond hope he wouldn't remember that she had her powers back, and he wouldn't look back. He paused in his saunter. Her heart raced, blocking out all other sounds. She needed to distract him. He couldn't notice. Standing with her legs apart, bracing herself, choking down the disgust that consumed her, she lowered her head and stared at him through her eye lashes. "Show me what you can do." Her tongue flicked out more than necessary, and she knew he noticed that.

He came towards her, faster now, eyes burning with more than anger. "You have no idea what I can do," his voice was breathy, excited. "But I can show you. You'll see. You'll like it. Just wait." Raven blocked out his words and carefully dislodged the boulder from the ground, letting his voice cover the noise it made. She levitated it in the air and waited for the moment to strike. "You let my prisoner go, and for that you have to die," he looked almost sad when he said it, but the emotion was quickly gone as it gave way to a more powerful urge, "but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with you first, right?"

Raven swallowed the vomit that was burning its way up her esophagus, and forced the most seductive smile she could muster. "Do I have much choice in the matter?" she asked, readying her attack. Just five more steps and she would be ready. He grinned at her and let an excited laugh jump out. Three steps.

"Not really." Two. "Who knows? If you're good, I might even keep you alive." One. "You'll love it."

_Now._

The boulder hurtled towards his unsuspecting back, while Raven sprang to the side and landed in a crouched position, hands glowing with her obsidian magic. He stared at her for less than a second before the rock slammed into him, sending him flying into an outcropping of stone jutting from the floor. His cry of pain reverberated throughout the cavern, echoing from wall to wall.

"You _bitch_!" he shrieked from where he was crushed between the two boulders. "You damned _bitch_!" His arms came into view as he wiggled them out from between the rocks. Placing his palms flat against the stone, his muscles straining, inch by inch the stones moved apart. Raven's mouth dropped as she saw him begin to escape. Her hands shook from the force she had used, but she ignored that as best she could and wiped off the sweat that was beginning to form on her forehead.

As Sebastian continued to scream and squirm, a million instincts screamed at her to run and get away as fast as she could. Adrenaline pulsed into her veins, sending her mind racing and the sweat to come faster. Her body wanted to leave. She could easily teleport out of this nightmare, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything. He would find her again. He would hurt Beast Boy. He might kill him. She could never escape him. Closing her eyes she resigned herself to her morbid fate.

One of them would die tonight.

And Raven was going to make sure it wasn't her.

She opened her eyes to the noise of the rocks crumbling apart and landing on the cold floor with a resounding _**BAM**_. Drawing the cool air into her frantic lungs, she tried to asses the damage she had done. He was bleeding from cuts on his cheek and right arm, but besides that she couldn't sense any other injuries. She cursed softly to herself. She had been relying on that to harm him more.

"Oh, sweetie," Sebastian hissed, a red aura of power surrounding him, "you're going to pay for that." Levitating himself off the ground, he began to shake with rage. "Thought you were sneaky, didn't you? Thought you could get me before I remembered about your powers…" the laugh in his voice was losing any trace of sanity, "Well guess what?" He grinned sadistically and held out his hand towards her.

"Ahh!" Raven fell to her knees as her power flowed out from every pore on her body. She clutched her body, utterly defenseless against whatever attack he decided to throw.

"All gone," he raved, "And now, time for punishment for all your tricks. When I'm done with you…" the red around him grew darker and denser, twisting around him with a life of its own, "you'll be begging to die." The breath in her lungs seemed to disappear under his intense gaze, and the resolve she had so carefully acquired threatened to flee with every step he took towards her.

She blinked floating dust from her eyes, opening them to an unexpected horror. Sebastian stood merely centimeters apart from her reaching up his hands to grasp her shoulders. He had flown up to her silently in the milliseconds in which her eyes had been closed. Her mind froze, and she forgot how to fight as she stared into his burning crimson eyes. She was barely aware of his hands on her shoulders, his nails digging into her soft flesh.

"You will pay," he whispered, moving his face closer to hers, still refraining from any contact excluding his hands on her shoulders. "Let's start small," he continued, a tiny smile creeping onto his face. "We want this to last a long time…" his voice trailed off and his eyes released Raven from their prison. Her head snapped back and she looked to her shoulders where pain was stabbing through her nerves.

His nails were thick and long, dangerously sharp on the tips. He pressed them into her skin causing a slow trickle of blood to run down her back and arms. She looked back and forth from his face to his nails gouging into her bloody epidermis, eyes widening with realization and fear. His tongue flicked out of his mouth expectantly, awaiting the sweet reward. "Not yet…" he hissed to himself, "Let's make her suffer firssst…"

"Stop…" Raven whimpered, staring at the blood that was flowing faster now as his nails dug deeper. "Let me go…"

"What?" Sebastian laughed, pausing in his gradual stabbing. "What was that?" his fangs seemed to protrude from his mouth. "What did you just say?" Every cell in Raven's body tensed, awaiting the pain that was surely coming. Her fingers began to tremble from her nerves that had been so terribly shot. His eyes flickered behind her to the nearest rock outcropping, smile plastering itself to his face.

Unhooking his claws from her torn skin, he picked her up and flung her against the rock as if she were no more than a bug that had gotten in his way. Raven could hear a crack as she landed against the boulder, but with her powers gone she not only had no way of healing it, but she couldn't even tell what had broken. Before she could even properly land on the ground, he was pressing her bleeding body into the jagged stone; her feet hanging limp above the soil. "Now," he said, crushing her between him and the rock, "what did you say?"

His crimson eyes stared into her indigo ones as his fingers clutched her arms and his thighs pressed against her legs. She was trapped and so vulnerable in his sadistic grasp. She wanted to cry; she wanted to scream; she wanted to kick the bastard in his balls, but she knew he would get her anyway. She needed a plan, an idea, any—

His left hand reached up to cup her cheek. "You don't have to be shy," he murmured gently. Involuntarily she cringed when his hand touched her skin. "It's true what they say," his hand caressed the side of her face, "Actions speak louder than words."

**Slap.**

Raven's sharp intake of breath went unnoticed as he brought his left hand back down in a powerful backslap.

**Slap.**

"You--"

**Slap.**

"Little—"

**Slap. **

"Slut…"

He stared at her face, her eyes clenched shut, her cheeks reddening from the impact, and he knew his victory was assured. He laughed hysterically, knowing he had won. There was nothing she could do. She was all his. So…perfectly…_his._

"Oh, come on," the sound that emerged from his mouth was guttural and raw, "this doesn't have to be all bad…" Not waiting for her response, he shoved his face up against hers, his greedy mouth always wanting more. His hands traveled up her frozen arms, reveling in the blood that flowed over them. Her blood. Her beautiful blood. He pressed the length of his body against hers, loving the feel of her against him.

She thought she couldn't take it anymore, and the vomit was about to escape her stomach before he pulled his face away from her. "See?" he said, grabbing her hair near the scalp and staring into her eyes, "Not all bad." He laughed at her emotionless face and shook her head back and forth by her hair. "But a lot of it will be," slamming Raven's head against the rock behind her, he only laughed harder.

_This monster, _Raven thought, while he smashed her head repeatedly against the boulder, _is __**insane.**_ _Oh, Azar,_ she prayed desperately, _help me. _The side of her forehead collided with a jagged little stone that stuck out from the rocks, cutting her above her purple eyebrow. The cut was shallow but blood flowed out, released from her tortured veins. The blood flowed through her eyebrow dying it crimson, snaking a trail down her face.

Squinting her eyes open at her oppressor she noticed a strange frenzy in his eyes. It was different than before, but she couldn't quite understand it. Eyes glued to the blood running down her face, he stood perfectly still, except for an occasional swallow that caused his Adam's apple to dance.

Stiffly he brought his face to where the blood flowed. She heard a sniffing, like a dog, and in her peripheral vision she could see him…smelling her blood. "So much…" the words escaped his lips. The blood still inside of her turned to ice as she felt a slick pressure on her head. Her body shook with contained retches, as the realization of what he was doing set in. The ridges rubbed against her skin with a sensation that made her want to rip off Sebastian's head.

He was…licking…her blood.

He let a grotesque moan gush out of his mouth as he savored the taste. Raven didn't know if her prayer had been answered, or if she had lost too many brain cells when her head was hit against the rock, but an idea began to form in her mind. An awful idea, but an idea all the same. As he lapped up the blood from her face, she concentrated on locking her soul in a safe place. Hidden far away where nothing could affect it. Making her so numb, she could do anything in the world and it wouldn't make her flinch. She let her father's side of her come to the surface, preparing for what she would have to do. She was, after all, the daughter of Trigon. She wasn't going to let some…Jr. Brother Blood beat her.

When the only blood left on her face was the trickle that was slowly oozing from her already healing cut, Sebastian stopped and let out a satisfied sigh. Raven closed her eyes, and threw all reason as far away from her as she could. Body shuddering, she reached a hand up to grasp his. "Don't stop," she whispered, breath coming fast. "Sebastian…" she closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, "Does that make you happy?"

He put a hand on her neck and pushed her back. "You've tricked me before," he shuddered, his mind still reeling from the awareness of her blood in his mouth, "I won't fall for any of your schemes again." She opened her eyes, glancing down at the hand that clutched at her neck. Not saying a word, she tilted her head down so her mouth could reach his fingers, and ever so delicately she pressed her lips to his fingers. She could feel his body tense, ready to pull his hand away if she bit him. Instead she wrapped her soft lips around his index finger, sending shivers down his arm. She didn't bother moving her tongue, letting him relish this feeling of control over her. Hand still grasping her throat, finger stuck in her mouth, heart beating so loud Raven could hear it clearly, Sebastian closed his eyes in ecstasy. She could have attacked then, hit him, kicked him, anything. But something in her told her how little that would accomplish.

She waited until his finger began to squirm in her mouth before she released her grip on him. "Fine," she murmured, staring up at him through half closed eyes, "don't trust me. It makes it more fun." Moving with a speed that took him by surprise, she grabbed his hand and put on of his claws to her forearm. "You like blood, right?" without hesitating, she placed the tip of his nail against her skin and sliced it in one quick motion. Blood gushed out of the long cut on her arm onto his motionless hand. He gasped a quick breath, and didn't bother to hold himself back.

Almost as soon as she had made the cut, he was slurping it up, making sure not to miss a single precious drop. She pressed her arm against his mouth, forcing his head back. Following her instincts, and hoping beyond hope her plan would work, she flung her other arm around his neck, pulling them closer together. Her legs still hung above the ground, her body staying up merely from him pushing against her, and her arm around his neck. Slowly she lifted her useless legs in the air, bringing them tight by her body. He was so busy gulping down her blood, he was surprised to feel something encircling his torso. It took him a moment to realize it was Raven's legs—that her whole body now balanced on him. He opened his eyes to slits to her staring at him.

He moved one hand to the small of her back, and the other went to the underside of her thigh, holding her up. He was intoxicated by the overwhelming taste of her blood. It was unlike any other. Given so freely, willingly, and all for him. The cut on her arm was healing, and the blood was coming slower and slower. His crazed mind longed for more. More. His lips still pressed against her arms, but his mouth was resolutely closed. He turned his gaze to her eyes, having to turn his face up to see into them. They looked back at him, that gorgeous shade of indigo. His balance shifted slightly and he took one step back from the boulder. No longer held up by the tension between them, Raven squeezed her legs tighter around him, and pushed her body closer to his. His heart was beating with such force that it threatened to disturb their delicate position.

Her taste was leaving his mouth faster this time, and his need for it only grew more intense. He wouldn't beg for it, but she would give it to him. He swore to himself that he _would_ kill her tonight, but why let all this warm, exquisite blood go to waste? Besides the fact that a corpse's blood didn't taste half as good as live blood, a corpse couldn't kiss him back. A corpse didn't give it's blood by choice. Seconds passed and neither of them dared move. She knew what he wanted, but she had to make him wait. Her plan depended on this.

They stood, precariously intertwined, while with each passing second his need for her grew. His lips formed the word, "Raven" but no sound came out of his silently pleading mouth. The next step assured, she acted fast to quell his supplications. She threw her other arm around his neck, and brought her face close to his. She opened her mouth wide, to make sure he could see it, and stuck her tongue at him. She clamped her teeth down, hard, making red lines of blood rise up on her pink tongue.

She pressed her mouth against his, letting the blood seep from her lips. He opened his mouth wide wanting to devour every prized morsel. She tilted her body forward ever so slightly, forcing his head back and disrupting their balance. He fell backwards onto the floor, holding her tighter on top of him and never breaking their kiss. Her blood drove him mad with passion, and a fire that he had never known before.

She slipped her lips from his and lay with her legs underneath him, her face almost touching his. His mouth still hung open, to catch the falling drops of blood that fell from her mouth. His grasp on her waist loosened for the smallest second, and Raven used the opportunity to quickly roll off of him, and away.

He didn't get up, but rather just turned his head to stare at her. She knew he was waiting for something like this. He had anticipated a trick. That's why she wouldn't dare trick him. Not now, anyway.

"What are you waiting for?" she cooed, walking to the bubbling pit and leaning against it. "If you're so strong, then come and get me." She let her hair fall in her face, and dipped a hand in the hot blood water. Cupping some of the boiling liquid in her hand, she poured it back in staring at Sebastian with a look of patience.

He scrambled to his feet and came at her with lust in his eyes. He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her, pushing his tongue into her mouth. His nails dug into the skin on her cheeks, making lines of blood streak down. He broke their kiss to momentarily drink the blood that he had once again forced out. When she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she grabbed his face and pulled him into another embrace.

Now came the most risky part of her plan…and the part that would hurt the most. Keeping his mind fully on their mouths, she led his hands from her face down to her shoulders. As his claws dragged along her skin they sliced it into shreds. _Filthy sadist…_

She drew his hands along her torso, letting him cut her stomach with those damned claws. Torrents of blood flowed from her, and just had she had hoped he couldn't resist her blood. Like the dog he was, he dropped to one knee and began to feast in the blood that surged from her body. She clenched her eyes in silent pain as he drank to his heart's content.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt a blinding pain in her back. She knew instantly what it was. That bastard had stabbed her back with those claws. "Raven," he said in between swallowing her blood, "You have no idea how much I'm _loving_ this…" He tightened his grip, and she could hear a sickening squelch that was the sound of her organs being stabbed. "But I won't forget what you did." With that, he bit down on her torso with his razor-sharp fangs, opening yet another wound.

Raven was weak on her feet from loss of blood, but she couldn't fall now. Not so close. She felt his nails slide out of her skin as he placed his hands gently back on her stomach. He was sucking fiercely at her injuries, and she hoped that any second he would have to let go and take a breath of air. His fangs tore into her, and she could feel his slimy tongue dancing on her flesh, and occasionally plunging into her abdomen.

Finally, she could feel his grip go lax. His mouth disengaged from her skin, and he sucked in the smallest, fastest breath of air he could. He didn't want any pauses in his fun. Unfortunately for him, it would be the last breath he would have for a while.

As he moved his lips towards her bloody stomach she shifted her weight and wrapped her arms tightly around his stomach. Before he had time to react she pushed him over the edge of the pool of blood. She put one hand on his head, shoving it as far down as she could, while the other stayed on his back so he couldn't get out. Her hands and wrists quickly began to burn from the scorching fluid, but she didn't have the option of letting go. This was it. Either she killed him here and now, or else he had her beat. This was the last and only trick up her bloody sleeve.

His arms and legs swung wildly, desperately searching for anything to grab onto. One of his claws grazed her arm, but by now she was far too numb to notice. His body began to spasm and jerk from lack of air. She could hear him gasping under the waves, sending tiny air bubbles floating to the surface. Luckily for her, he hadn't been getting much oxygen before she plunged him into the pool, being too concerned with hurting her and drinking her blood. The skin on her hands felt like it was being peeled off by the heat, but she promised herself it would only be a little longer.

His body twitched one final time followed by a gurgle that she could only assume was his last breath. His limbs went limp, and he stopped fighting back. Immediately she felt a flow of energy as her powers returned. He may have taken them for a time, but he couldn't hold them any more. She slowly removed her hands from the corpse, and stared at it in shock. She did it. He was gone. _Gone._

At last the nausea she had been fighting had no reason to be restrained. Immediately she turned her face from the pool and retched. She fell to her knees as the sickness continued; sickness at what she had done, at what he had done to her. When her stomach had been emptied of every conceivable thing, she was thoroughly exhausted. She had lost so much blood she could hardly see straight. Her powers automatically began to heal her wounds, but they couldn't regenerate the blood she had lost. The world turned into a spinning red blur, and before she could teleport herself to a safer place, a creeping blackness took over. Raven fell to the floor, unconscious, only feet away from the corpse she had created.

* * *

Weeee...this was just fun to write. Sebastian has one bad case of blood lust xD he's also pretty insane 

Anyhoo, next chapter you'll see how Raven gets out of their, and what happens to Beast Boy, whose friends still think he hurt Raven.

funfunfun


	14. Awake

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been working on a ton of oneshots and prompts and poems and other little things like that.

So, this is the last chapter. It's been a long time coming, but I feel really accomplished by this. Looking back, I kinda hate some of the earlier chapters, but I can see myself improve as it goes on. I hope you guys see that too, and don't hate me too much for not having the best beginning.

Yes, there will be an epilogue. I already know what is going to happen in it, so just be ready.

Thank you so much for everyone who has stuck through with this story since it's rocky start. I love each and every one of you who reviewed ♥

A part of me wanted to name this chapter "I'm wide awake, it's morning," after the Bright Eyes song, but I decided against it :P

Read and enjoy :)

* * *

Chapter 14

_A_**w**_a_**k**_e_

Shooting through the sky like a lost bullet, the green hawk flew. He was desperately searching for any sign of hope, anything to keep him going. The night was beginning to silently leave the sky to make room for the sun. The sight of the moon falling low over the horizon edged him on and made him fly faster. He didn't have that much time, and he had no idea where he was going.

He wasn't following the wind or even his instinct. Trying as hard as he could, he turned off every thought and every emotion, flying without aim. It was the only plan he had thought up before he left the tower. He could only fly and hope that he found her.

Beast Boy closed his eyes and flew faster, trying to quell the frantic thoughts that kept creeping up on him. He felt himself swoop low to the ground. The wind and dust rushing past him ruffled his feathers and blocked out every other sound from his ears. The speed and the wind calmed his frenzied head as his muscles worked mechanically to carry him through the night sky.

His eyes opened to slits while he turned and twisted through forest and foliage. All of a sudden it hit him. That smell…it was rusty and putrid, almost poisonous to the senses. Hastily he changed back and stood staring at the dropping moon, focused solely on his nose. He was so engrossed in the odor of old drying blood he didn't hear anything around him. Everything was about the smell that was so strong and so out of place. If he found where it came from, he would find her, he was sure of it. Beast Boy clenched his fists and declared silently that he would find Raven and keep her safe, no matter what.

He bent to his knees and sniffed at the dirt. It was coming from somewhere close, he could tell that much. He had to be quiet. He had to be fast. He had to sneak up on the scent. He had to be…an animal. In an instant he was a fox darting through the overgrown brush, following the growing smell of blood. He ran until the soft pads of his feet were sore and dirty, and his breath came in fast gasps. But he couldn't stop.

He was lithe, and swift—powerful but silent. His feet barely made a sound as he scurried through the trees. By the time he reached a large clearing his body was covered in sweat and white foam was dripping from his mouth. Transforming back to a human he glanced around the clearing, ingraining in his mind the way it looked; the trees that looked hunched over and tired surrounding it, the flowers that seemed too happy in contrast, and the thick grass that was listlessly lying entangled with itself.

Moving a hand to wipe the foam that still fizzed on his lips, he took a weary step into the clearing. He was prepared for an attack from any side. Sebastian wouldn't let him get close without a fight. And he knew he was close. He steeped to the center of the clearing and turned in a slow circle. He took a step to where he thought the smell was strongest—

**BAM.**

The rock crashed into his skull and sent him careening forward, falling flat onto his face. The hand that had been cleaning the foam swept to the back of his head where he felt a warm liquid dance over his fingers. He could feel the blood soaking into his hair, dying it a strange mix between red and green.

A small sharp pebble flew into his hand, digging into the skin to a frightening depth. He turned slowly over, mind sluggish and non responsive. A silhouette stood above him, shape intangible in the dim light. Pale hair…pale skin…Sebastian? No, it couldn't be. The figure was too lanky…too…feminine.

"No way… " the words drifted off his still wet lips as he stared above him, "How…why?" Without responding the figure walked over to him. Standing with her legs straddling his stomach she gently eased down, knees on the hard earth, hands on his arms. "Why?" his whisper floated to her face as it hung inches from him.

"I saw you," Terra murmured, blond hair falling like a curtain around their faces. "You had…foam…You looked…" she trailed off, glancing away from his eyes uneasily.

"Terra," Beast Boy said, his voice gaining strength from anger and agitation, "I don't have time for this." He closed his eyes and picture Raven, looking so strong but so fragile, standing up to Sebastian with no hope of winning. "I can't…do this."

"Do what?" she asked concerned, "Beast Boy, I'm worried about you." Her sapphire eyes burned with tears that she refused to shed. "I hate seeing you like this."

"Like what? Angry?"

"Like an animal."

He sighed, fighting the mixed urges to alternately throw her off of him, and hug her. He had no idea why she still cared for him, but then again, that was probably how she had felt when he followed her to school. "Listen," he tried to calm her, "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, okay? I changed a lot when you were gone. I grew up. Just because I get mad doesn't make me a monster or anything. I know you think I hurt Raven," her bloody face flashed in his mind, "but I would never do that. To her or you or anyone."

A salty tear splashed on his cheek, "How can you say that?" She sounded like an innocent child who had been forced to grow up far too fast. "You would never hurt me?" her laugh sounded forced, "Then why did you draw me on…kiss me…make me think I meant something to you…if you really cared about Raven?" The fingers wrapped around his arms tightened and trembled from her rising emotions.

"I don't know," Beast Boy said honestly, "I really don't know." A vague thought coasted through his mind about his head injury and stopping the bleeding, but with Terra pinning him down that wasn't an option.

"You don't know?" her breath was ragged, "I realize that the things I put you through in the past were horrible, but I still can't stop thinking about you. You were always there for me when I needed someone even if I didn't want to admit it. And now…you just walk away from me."

"It's not that simple," he wished he could just turn into an animal and leave, but he couldn't do that to her. "Can we please talk about this later? I really don't have a lot of time—"

"Until what?" she cut in, "You still haven't told anyone what happened, yet you insist you didn't do anything."

"Because I didn't," Beast Boy was exasperated beyond belief, "Where're Robin and the others?"

"We split up to look for you. I found you first."

"Oh…" he needed a way to get out of this. He couldn't stay here while Sebastian was doing who knows what to Raven. "Terra, please, we have to talk about this later. There's something really important I have to do." He stared into her watery eyes that shimmered like a moonlight sea, and for the nth time tried to compose his mind. He wriggled under her grip, restless.

She closed her eyes, sending two more tears to land on either of his cheeks. "Fine," she whispered softly, "go then. Just…go." Terra rolled sideways off of him and lay in the cool grass, silent tears fighting their way out of her eyes.

He stood up shakily, hand instantly going to the back of his head where the blood had already begun to clot and dry. The words refused to come to him as he gazed at her figure, looking so weak and fragile as she lay in the grass. Even her eyes looked feeble in the dim light. The stars didn't have enough mercy to give her hope. "Terra…"

"Just fucking leave."

* * *

Red. 

Everything was so red.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

Her hair was clumped with the red liquid, her pale body painted. Her head hurt so much…She pushed her hands beneath her and slowly rose to her feet. She tripped and almost fell on her unstable legs. A hand to her head, she glanced around the room. Eyes freezing, she turned to where a lifeless body lay mere feet from her.

Just the sight of it made her sick. She had killed someone. The reasonable part of her said that he deserved it, but she couldn't help feeling bitter remorse. She had killed a living, breathing thing.

As she stared at its pale flesh she remembered what she had done to him. Kissed him and killed him. Even though she had tried to shield her soul from what her body done, protect it from the act, it hadn't worked. She felt scarred, dirty. She shuddered with disgust at the thought of her lips on his.

Tearing her gaze away from Sebastian's body, she took a faltering step forward. She had no idea how to get out, but there had to be a way. She wandered around the large chamber in between rocks before it hit her. She had her powers back; she could teleport. The only problem was that she knew she didn't half enough energy to go all the way back to the tower.

Raven sat down on the cold rocks and hugged her numb body. Her cloak had been lost somewhere, and her leotard was tattered and torn. Putting all that aside she closed her eyes and began to pray. "Azar," her quiet words rang like bells in the chamber, "guide me out of this hell. Take me…" her mouth stopped when she imagined falling into _his_ arms, being safe, "to a place where I can heal."

Her soul self spun out in a wave around her and seconds later the cursed chamber was empty of everything except the corpse that no one but two people would ever remember.

The night air hit her skin like a train. When was the last time she had been outside? It felt like she had been Sebastian's prisoner for an eternity. The world tilted around her and she fell to her knees. She told herself she wouldn't fall over, she had faced so much, she wasn't going to fall now when she was so close to getting home. Even as her mind protested she collapsed onto the earth that felt so soft after the rock she had fainted on.

Her hair was splayed over her eyes like a waterfall. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and fall asleep. She wanted to wake up and be next to him. As hard as she wished for it she knew it wouldn't happen if she just lay here. She didn't even know where she was.

Brushing her hair from her eyes with a tired hand she stared at her surrounding from where she lay. Trees. A lot of them. She must be in the forest outside town. Not that far to get back. But before she could get back she would have to get up.

The prospect was less than appealing.

Still the tress around her stood like sentries, the wind moving through their leaves as if to tell her, _"You're almost there little raven. Fly home little bird. The sun will rise soon, the chill will break soon." _

A delicate green leaf floated down to her in the grass, reminding her of a little child so full of hope that it couldn't help but tell her to keep going. Just keep going and she would be alright. Just look up and eventually all of this would disappear.

Weakly she clambered to her feet, eyes glued to the optimistic little leaf. She smiled at it, reassuring its innocence that she would fly home like a good girl. As soon as her foot left the ground she was propelled nearby tree with a sudden crash. While her vision returned she could hear muffled tears mixed with familiar laughs.

"Raven!" the red head exclaimed from where she clutched her ribs and pressed her to the tree. "I was so…so worried!" Raven's breathing was irregular as she softly pushed the friendly alien away.

"Good to see you too," her voice came out hoarse and frail. She could see the worried look in her friend's eyes grow as she tried to calm her. "I'm fine," she smiled feebly before stumbling forward into Starfire's arms. "Sorry," she muttered, "I guess I'm still weak."

"That is alright!" it seemed like Starfire could not figure out how to make her voice any quieter, "After what Beast Boy did to you…"

The sentence floated through the air, unfinished and icy. Raven watched absentmindedly as a simple leaf that had been spinning on the ground fall flat upon it. Something was wrong with that sentence. Very wrong.

The nausea that she had thought she dispelled came rushing back as her stomach plummeted. "No, no that's not right," through the peace around them the words echoed, with ever repeat sounding stronger. "No," disentangling herself from her friend her cold eyes glared at Starfire's, a green so deep it was just a reflection of the forest. "Take me to Beast Boy."

"But Ra—"

"_Now." _

The look in her eyes said that if she didn't get her friend's assistance she would crawl through the trees on her bloody hands and knees. The alien carefully picked up her wounded friend, acting like she hadn't just pinned her to a tree moments before in a crushing hug. She shot up into the air with a graceful leap, soaring low in the sky. She didn't know where Beast Boy was, but she certainly wasn't going to tell Raven that. Surely they would come across him eventually.

* * *

She was sinking. She didn't mean to. Really. It was just sort of happening. She was hardly even aware of the substance that was beginning to hug her close. A far off part of her mind hugged it back, just wanting to be held. 

Everything was falling apart. The things she used to believe in above anything else had dissolved in a flash of tears and circumstance. She was falling apart. She could feel it from the soles of her feet to the roots of her hair. This was so wrong. It felt like a high school play where the lead was killed in a drive by shooting. A lead that everyone loved to watch. An actress that made everyone forget the real world and disappear in hers. But she was gone now. Gone like the breath of a child born premature to the world of pain.

Her arms wouldn't move. Her eyes didn't see anything. The only sign of life was her stomach rising up and down. Up. Down. Up…

_Down._

With a snap the world came springing back like a wound up rubber band. She coughed once, twice. There was something on her stomach. Leaning her head up as much as she could, the dirt began to pour off. Before she knew it her face was turned in a different direction and a red mark was forming on her cheek. Somewhere in the distance she heard a gasp, but she had no idea where it came from.

Someone was holding her head between two sticky hands.

"_Terra."_

It was someone she knew.

"Wake up."

Who was it?

"Wake up."

Her head shook back and forth, forced by the humid fingers.

"Don't do this."

Why did it look so red?

"Terra, please."

A different voice. Kinder, pleading. Far away.

"Get a hold on yourself."

The first voice again. She should know them.

"Take a deep breath."

Her body tried, but the thing on her chest prevented her. Why couldn't she recognize the voices? She knew that she knew them.

"Terra…"

The hands wrapped around her neck and shoulders like a blanket. Something heavy leaned on her shoulder. A strand of something tickled her back.

"I know…" the whispered words brushed against her skin, "I know we've never been that close…and you probably hate me now…"

A wet drop of something slithered down her arm.

"But please…" the arms tightened, "I can't…you can't…just…_please_." More drops. The arms began to tremble. "Damn me…this is _all_ my fault." It began to rain on her arm. "You have to be okay…" Wait. It sounded so familiar. If she only had a second to think. "Please be okay."

There was red. And…purple? Yes. Of course. Purple.

Carefully and painfully she brought her arms up around the other's waist. She could feel the surprise as the other's face shot up from where it rested. "Can you…get off?" she whispered.

Without a word Raven fell off of her and sat on her knees. "Are you alright?" her voice cracked.

"Yeah," Terra said, brushing stray locks of hair from her face. "What happened?" Looking up she saw Starfire standing a few feet away, wringing her hands together nervously.

"I'm guessing it was just a little PTSD," Raven said, wiping her eyes nonchalantly, "Post Traumatic Stress. You had me worried." Her laugh was forced and full of dissipating fear.

"But," she was still confused, "I don't understand. One second Beast Boy is here, the next you land on my stomach."

"Beast Boy was here?" Raven cut in, hands clenching.

Starfire walked up and put a comforting hand on Raven's shoulder. "We will find him," she said. Turning her attention to Terra she explained, "We were searching for Beast Boy, when we saw you. You were lying on the ground and…" she searched for words, "um…there was dirt all over you."

"It was burying you," Raven interjected. "You were burying you."

"What?" her delicate eyebrows knit together, "I would never do that."

"I think it was subconscious," the empath continued, "Not your fault."

"Oh…" she started at the pale blood stained girl. How had she gotten so torn up? She couldn't decide what to feel about her. A part of her wanted to hate her, but holding grudges had never gotten her anywhere. "Thanks," her eyes ran away to watch trees swaying around her, "for waking me up."

They sat in silence as the wind rustled past their chilled bodies. "I can't believe," Terra's laugh was cold, "that I tried to bury myself."

"I've done worse," Raven tried her best to comfort her, remembering the feel of Sebastian against her. Terra looked at her curiously but didn't ask.

"I…" Terra closed her eyes and wondered if she was doing the right thing, "I can get Beast Boy." When she cracked open her eye the light in Raven's made it almost worth it. They'd never been that close…but still. The girl looked like she had been through enough tonight. Bending her head she placed her palms on the ground. She felt the dirt beneath her fingers, and sent veins through the earth. She could feel his footsteps as the landed on the ground. "Okay," she whispered, molding a part of the rocks into the shape of a beckoning hand. Capturing his attention he ran along behind it, confused but worried. "He'll be here soon."

"Thank you." A hand covered hers. It shook from something she couldn't decipher. "Thank you so much."

Her smile was warmer than she felt. "I…" sudden tears rushed to her eyes, "I've been holding on to him for too long." A piece of her past that was too painful to rip away. But it was time to tear off the snare that had been holding her back. She was sad; she was crushed. Except it felt good. It felt like healing.

* * *

With hurried feet he stumbled back to the clearing where he had left Terra. He crashed through the trees and brushes. He was sure that his blood was mostly adrenalin by now. But when he came out of the forest, following the rock hand dutifully, all he could do was stop and stare. 

Terra was lost in a massive embrace from Starfire, who was silently crying. By their feet she sat, bloody and torn, yet so serene and strong.

_Raven._

He stood gaping as she leisurely turned her head to look at him. Her eyes shone with a kind of restrained happiness, while the tear streaks on her face stuck out like a screaming baby. Her cloak was gone. Her clothes were torn. She was covered in blood. But she was so beautiful, drenched in the fading moonlight.

Starfire spun when she heard him, and glanced between the two of them. "I will take Terra home," she said, picking up the fragile looking earth shaker and drifting off into the sky. "Please be back soon," she waved as she flew off.

A voice so faint that almost no one heard it sang out in the wind, "I will be okay Raven."

"Raven," the words that he had been thinking for so long refused to come out of his dry mouth.

She stood up slowly, looking like a moving piece of art. "Hi," she smiled calmly. As she waited for him to reach her as ran across the grass, an image flashed through her mind. White skin against hers. Fangs pressing into her.

When his arms enveloped her the only thing she could do was hug him back. Beast Boy kept saying her name over and over like an already answered prayer. After so much had happened, they were finally safe. "How…" he held her at arms length and looked her up and down, "How did you get away?"

"I explained to Starfire that it wasn't you," she said, avoiding his question.

"Okay," he sounded plaintive, "but how did you get away from Sebastian?"

Instead of answering she buried her head in his shoulder and let his arms fold around her. "I'll tell you later. Maybe," she smiled into his chest. It felt so nice just to be here, just to be held by him.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she felt his arms tighten on her grimy skin. "We should get you back to the tower soon. You have to wash this blood off."

"I know." She did know. She knew something that she couldn't bear to tell him now. "And we will go back. Just…not yet." Sliding her arms around his skinny waist she pulled him closer, making his heart beat faster.

Easing his arm out from his grasp of her, he tilted her head up gently. Her eyes were deep orbs that rivaled the moon for beauty. Before he could say her name again, she put a thin finger up to his lips. Her hand gracefully swept to the back of his head where her fingers danced in his hair.

It was just the two of them. No evil demons, no girl from the past, no friends, no reality. As he let gravity pull his head gently down to hers, the moon fell, as if to give them privacy in the tranquil early morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, leaving the sky an empty abyss where emotions could rise shamelessly into the heavens with no fear of being stopped.

When his lips met hers he could feel his heart beating faster than ever. His blood was warm as it raced through his veins. He had never felt this way before. It was like a fairy tale. It was a kiss so pure that neither of them could hold it for long for fear of tainting it with anything.

She gently pulled away and smiled at him beneath her long eye lashes. "It's not really morning yet, is it?" Raven asked playfully, a lush tress of hair falling in her face. When his hand was poised to sweep it to the side, she jumped. Laughing hard, she half tackled him to the ground where she lay on top of him. He laughed and grasped hold of her, rolling around the clearing. She squeaked in mischievous displeasure, but that only made him laugh harder.

When she was lying on the ground, tired from her fit of laughter, he was balanced on his palms above her, legs straddling her angled figure. She giggled in an extremely un-Raven like way, which might have bothered Beast Boy had he not been busy kissing her neck tenderly. His touch was so sweet, so innocent, that while he kissed her she couldn't even remember what that demon's name was.

He held himself back up, trying in vain to restrain from tiring her too much. Her hair was splayed about her in the grass, making her look, if possible, even more striking. Deciding there was no real reason to hold back, Beast Boy quickly attached his mouth to hers. Her arms were on his neck, pulling him closer. She never wanted to let go. She never wanted the sun to rise and go back to the real world.

For a few minutes both of them could pretend that there was nothing else. That it really was just the two of them, and that was all they needed. Beast Boy had almost no idea what he was doing, but his instincts screamed that this was a time to take risks.

Tenderly he opened her mouth further, and gradually slid his tongue to meet hers. Her fingers clutched at his skin as he tried to relieve the fire in his blood. She was nervous, and he could tell. He was too, but he hoped she didn't know that. He was afraid she would push him away, tell him he was crossing a line. People don't do that to Raven, people don't even _touch_ her without consent.

His anxiety lasted for a mere nanosecond before he felt her tongue dance with his. He ran a hand through her feathery hair, as her hands kept bringing him closer. Their skin burned at one another's touch, neither getting enough. It was such sweet release after the horror they had endured.

Raven, feeling the first of the sun's rays on her skin, pushed him over so they were lying next to each other on the ground. Disconnecting their mouths, Beast Boy leaned his forehead to hers. Her hands traced the skin of his face, while his were wrapped around her lithe waist. "I—"

Before he could finish what she knew he would say, she kissed him softly, lips just brushing his. "Good morning," she murmured, snuggling into him, "no more nightmares."

"Good morning, Raven," Beast Boy whispered, glancing up at the sun still low on the horizon. It smiled down at them, promising that the night really was over, and with it the prowling demons. As the two lay, intertwined in the grass and calm in each others arms, their trust soared high in morning light, shedding all doubt in their blissful embrace.

A leaf skittered across the clearing, dancing in air that was thick with love and hope.


End file.
